Alive
by SassyPrincess14
Summary: This is how I believe the mid-season finale of season 5 should have ended. As long as people enjoy it, I will write what I think should happen for the second half of the season. BETH IS ALIVE IN THIS! Daryl/Beth (Bethyl). I think all of us Bethyl shippers need some comfort after the mid-season finale!
1. Chapter 1

Daryl walked, more like sprinted from the hospital with the girl in his arms. Her blonde hair was soaked with blood and all that he knew was that he had to save her. They had not come this far just for her to die. She had to be saved! Beth Greene would not die today, not when he just got her back.

Maggie noticed Daryl holding her sister's limp body in his arms. She nearly started crying but the determined look on Daryl's face made her realise Beth wasn't dead. Yet.

"We've gotta lay her down," Maggie said. She knew very little about all of this stuff, but with everyone's help, they could save her little sister, right? "What happened?"

"Gun shot...Think it just grazed 'er," Daryl said. Abraham wordlessly helped get the girl into the fire engine. Maggie climbed in side too. "We need a needle and some thread," Daryl called out to the rest of the group.

"We may have something in here," Rosita began looking through the fire truck and found a first aid kit. There were sutures and a small bottle of rubbing alcohol. Daryl disinfected the graze as best he could, it was pretty deep, but not deep enough to hit bone―luckily. He threaded the needle and began sewing it up as best he could. Once that was done, he sat behind her, her head resting on his leg to keep her head higher than her heart―so the bleeding would slow. He had a gauze to her head as they drove down the road. He didn't know where they were going, he didn't care. As long as Beth lived. She had to live...all of this couldn't be for nothing!

"Daryl, you alright?" Glenn asked upon seeing the blue eyed man's zoned out stare.

"Mm," he nodded, he hadn't noticed that unconsciously his hand had taken hers. He started to release it, but he couldn't. He felt like maybe he was her only lifeline, her only hope of living.

"We're here," Glenn said, trying to get Daryl to move, to say something, do something.

"I'm gonna stay out here 'til she wakes up."

"Daryl..."

"I said go. I'll be here." Without further protest, Glenn left. Daryl sat with Beth for two more hours. The sun was about to go down when her blue eyes finally met his.

"My head," she groaned.

"Bein' shot don't feel too good, does it?" she started to move her hand that wasn't holding his to her head, but he stopped her. "Don't. Let's get ya inside."

"What happened?"

"We'll talk 'bout it later," he scooped her up and took her into the small motel they were currently residing. It was something, he supposed. It was out side of the city, but not far enough for his liking. He wished they were in the middle of the woods. The further from walkers and people alike, the better.

"You saved me, didn't you?"

"Mm hmm," Daryl replied, taking her into one of the open bedrooms and setting her gently on the bed. "I'm gonna go get ya some water." Her hand grabbed his tightly, used all of the strength that remained.

"Please don't go..."

Daryl obliged and sat beside the bed on the floor. "I won't." Her eyes had closed again, but she was breathing softly, maybe she would fall asleep.

"Anything else hurt?" he found himself asked.

"Just my head...So what did happen?"

"Ya got shot. That bitch shot ya, it just grazed ya, though...She's dead, I promise."

"She shot me...?" None of this made sense. Everything was so foggy in her mind. She didn't remember much of anything, especially not her stay at Grady. She did remember Daryl though. Very well. She remembered when they were alone, back at the funeral home when he had taken care of her, she also remembered being taken from there.

A knock came from the door and Beth tried to look, but the light was blinding.

"Oh Beth," Maggie knelt beside her―on the other side of Daryl. She took the other hand and kissed it. "You're not gonna die on me too, are ya?" she asked.

"No, dyin' ain't on my to-do list," she said, giver her sister the best smile she could muster, even though her eyes were still closed. "You're stuck with me. You too, Daryl," she squeezed his hand and he couldn't help but smile just a bit.

"Good, don' go leavin' us any time soon," Daryl said. Maggie looked up right away. There was something different with him. Something...off. Maybe it was his tone of voice...maybe it was the way he was _smiling_ at her sister...Daryl Dixon certainly was not acting like the grumpy redneck everyone knew and loved around their group, well not in this aspect anyway. She supposed she could write it off as he wasn't ready to loose someone else...but still...something felt strange to her.

"I'll be righ' back. I'm gonna try to find ya some medicine or somethin'," Maggie left the room, leaving Daryl and Beth alone for a moment.

"'M sure your sister wants to talk to ya for a bit," Daryl started to get up.

"Just stay...a little longer," she pleaded. Unable to say no, Daryl sat back down.

He stayed for a whole hour more. When he finally left, Beth was sleeping deeply and rather comfortably. Daryl's hand was wrapped in both of hers as she cuddled it close to her.

Carefully, he wiggled it free and she grunted a bit in her sleep, but consoled herself quickly. Before leaving the room, Daryl felt the urge to kiss her forehead. A gesture he had never done for anyone...But then again, he had never held someone in his arms as they clung to life before he saved them. So Daryl kissed her forehead before leaving the room to set up his own.

**AN: Hey guys, I'm really pissed at the writers of TWD right now. I know I'm not the only one. Please feel free to rant in the reviews. Make it your therapy session. I cried my eyes out at last night's episode and you know what I'm gonna do now? I'm writing the second half of season 5. HOW IT SHOULD BE! As you can tell, Beth is not dead here (omg almost started crying) please review if you want to read how it should take place (if you hate it for some reason, please don't flame. I write these stories to express my emotion, so if it's horrible and amateurish, I am 16 and haven't perfected my work yet). Please do enjoy the story though :D. **

**UPDATE: 1 December 2015**

**I can't believe this story was published a whole year ago. Sheesh...I considering returning to it, so now, I'm going back through and editing the original 7 chapters. If those of you who had been reading before still have interest, reviews are still welcome.**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: thank you to everyone who has read/reviewed/followed. I'm glad everyone is enjoying the story. As a thank you, here is chapter 2:**

It had been two weeks. Daryl had spent much of his time with Beth, helping her to get better. If he wasn't there—which was only when he needed to sleep or when he hunted—Maggie was there. She was so very grateful to Daryl for his support with her sister.

"I'm gonna go hunt," Daryl started to leave but Beth sat up in the bed. She could do most things for herself now, being as she was nearly fully healed. Daryl turned back to her as she began pulling boots on over her jeans. "What're ya doin'?"

"Coming with you. You still need to teach me how to use your crossbow," she pulled her hair in a ponytail and smiled at him. She waited to hear him tell her no. It didn't happen.

"Ya gotta be careful, ya hear?"

"Yes sir," she saluted playfully. They walked into the area where a lot of the other group members were. Carl and Michone were speaking quietly. Maggie walked in from a separate hallway and took one look at Beth and shook her head.

"No. You're not ready yet," the brunette said. "Go on back to bed."

"Maggie, it's fine. Dr. Daryl cleared me for huntin'. Right?"

When Daryl saw Maggie's death stare he almost said no. But he knew Beth was ready. It was better to get her back out there and comfortable with handling the crossbow as soon as possible.

"I'll be right there. She'll be fine," Daryl assure Maggie. She just gave him a look as they left. She wanted her baby sister—who she had just recently gotten back—to be safe! Going out into the woods with walkers was not exactly Maggie's definition of safe!

"Do you have an extra gun…just in case?" Beth asked Daryl. He nodded and handed her his. It was actually his only gun but he had a knife and his crossbow. He figured he would be alright. He was sure that they would come across another one sometime soon. The group did not have too many to spare right now and Beth needed a weapon.

"Got yer knife?"

"Shoot! I'll be right back," she the. Walked back to her room.

While Daryl stood waiting, Carol walked into the room and stood beside him.

"I may not save people anymore, but you do," she patted his shoulder and he just gave a small shrug.

"Just doin' what needed to be done."

"Okay, now I'm ready," Beth felt so silly leaving her knife in her room. That was a rookie mistake. She could play it off as it was simply because she had left in a hurry but it had been her own carelessness.

"We're gonna bring back dinner," Daryl told Carol as they left.

XxX

They had hunted for nearly an hour and found nothing, that was until Daryl noticed a wild turkey. They were far enough away from it that it hadn't noticed them yet. He found Beth's eyes focused on it. She pulled up the crossbow and aimed. She let the arrow fly and reloaded—it was difficult for her because she lacked the muscle Daryl had.

The turkey moved a bit before it fell. She had hit her where its cheek would have been, not perfectly in the eye, but for it being her first time. Not bad at all, actually.

"Did I kill it? Beth stepped over the log they had been ducked behind to check out her shot.

"Ya did. Aim was a little off."

"It was my first shot," she said, seeing the small smile on his face. "I don't think it was too bad at all."

"Still got room for improvement," he smirked.

"Daryl," she rolled her eyes. " I bet your first shot wasn't perfect."

"No. Arrow gave it a nice hole for an earring though."

"See? Plus I have a much better teacher."

XxX

They made their way back to the motel, Beth carrying her kill—she had insisted on it actually.

"I never got to thank you," Beth realised.

"For what?"

"Savin' my life. And don't even tell me it wasn't a big deal…because it was," she stopped him. She stood in front of him and grinned. "And thank you for staying with me as much as you did. You didn't have to do that either." She wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly. To her surprise, his arms have her a gentle squeeze.

While they hugged, the dead Turkey was still in Beth's hand and when Daryl felt its beak touch he back, he jumped a little.

"Daryl Dixon afraid of a little bird?" She grinned.

"No," he frowned, glaring at her ginning face.

**AN: sorry it was short. I'm on my phone right now typing this (which is difficult) I hope you enjoyed it. I'm trying to start things a little slow, but everything will pick up soon. **

**Updated 1 December 2015**


	3. Chapter 3

"This is stupid," Carl stated.

"What is?" Beth asked, sitting beside the younger boy on one of the couches as she held baby Judith.

"Staying here," he replied. "We're going to get ourselves killed. It's either keep moving or die," he said. "It happens everywhere," Beth continued to hold the baby as she pondered his words.

"So we stay here until we've worn out our stay," she concluded. "What's the point of living if we're constantly running?" she asked him and he shrugged. "We've all done enough running for a while. We need to...take a breather," she offered.

"I just don't want anyone else to die. We've seen enough of it," in that moment, Beth thought of him as a child. She hadn't in a long time. It was no secret that Carl could take care of himself, that he was capable of keeping the group safe just as much as the next person. It had become the common opinion that he was much more of an asset than a burden.

"It won't end, all you can do is find something worth getting up for," she held out the baby to him and he took it.

"What is it for you?"

"I've got my sister...but her reason to get up is Glenn. So, I don't know yet. Back at the hospital, it was the hopes that I could find a way to escape. I've gotta find something new now. Find whatever works for you."

The front door opened, grabbing their attention they both looked over the couch as they both rested their hands on their guns―Beth's gun was technically Daryl's but he had told her to keep it, for now at least. They didn't have very many extras around the group and he didn't really need it. He wanted her safe.

"Find anything?" Carl asked, seeing Daryl walk through the door and hold it open. He and Rick had left earlier in the day on a scouting trip to see if they could find supplies to last them the winter ahead of them.

"Someone," Daryl stated plainly.

Rick walked in with a girl about Carl's age in tow. She had dark brown hair, which was in a pony tail. Carl didn't see much else before Rick led her out of sight. Curious, Carl started to get up.

"Who is she?" Beth asked, walking over to Daryl.

"Some girl. We found 'er in one of the stores. She's hurt bad. Cut 'er arm open while we were there," Daryl explained. Carl paused, listening to the two talk, watching they way they looked at each other. He wasn't sure what it was, but something was different between the two of them, he couldn't put his finger on exactly what it was, but he would, eventually.

"Is she going to be okay?" Carl asked.

"If they can fix 'er up, maybe," Daryl didn't want to make any promises. You couldn't make promises nowadays. You could only guess what would happen. Nothing was guaranteed any more. Nothing except that one day you would die.

"How do we know she's not bit?" Beth asked, looking at Daryl seriously.

"Saw 'er slice 'er arm open," he shrugged. "'Sides, she ain't old 'nough to be on 'er own anyway."

"I'm going to go see if I can help," Carl said, leaving the two alone.

"Can we go practice hunting a little more?" Beth asked timidly. Daryl wanted to say no, but what else was there to do? He was bored, so he nodded.

"Gonna need somethin' warmer than that." He motioned to her long sleeved shirt, knowing it was getting chillier and chillier by the hour out there. It was November and though Georgia was typically warm, if the weather kept up, it would be a bitter cold winter.

"I'll see if Maggie has a jacket I can barrow."

"Don' need to," Daryl had found something while they were out. They had stopped by to get clothes for everyone and they had found quite a bit. He pulled out a brown leather jacket from one of the stacks. "Ain't really yer style but―"

"I love it," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. His hand rested in the middle of her back for a second.

"Figured ya'd be the only one it'd fit anyway," he shrugged, like it was nothing. The jacket would have fit Maggie just fine, Beth was sure of it once she put it on. It was a comfortable loose though. She really liked the way it felt.

"It's perfect," she grinned, slipping it on. She was already dressed―given that they had to be ready to go at any point, she had her boots on and the two headed outside, letting Eugene, who was in the kitchen area, know that they were leaving. He just nodded and said that he would pass on the message.

"It'll help protect ya from walkers, too," Daryl pointed out. "Can't bite through the leather too well."

"The can't," she realised. "Maybe I should get leather pants too," she laughed, nudging Daryl's shoulder. He just rolled his eyes, followed by a stern "Stop." She grinned as they made their way deep into the woods once more. It had become almost a new routine, the two of them hunted for the group, well Beth tried. She wasn't too bad, but if they needed to come back with a bigger haul, Daryl did the majority of the hunting and let Beth help when she could.

But today, they had the freedom to just practice. They spent two hours out there, not getting much more than a couple squirrels, but they were pretty set up for now back at the hotel. They had tons of canned food, plus they were still working on a deer that had been caught just a few days earlier.

"I like that I get to do this," Beth stated. They had taken a short break to sit on some rocks over looking a small cliff―they had never been out that far before.

"Mm," he agreed. He did like that he could take her out there with him. It was nice that she appreciated what he taught her, and she didn't wear down his patience too much. She did make mistakes, but he had to accept that, plus, once she made one, she didn't tend to make it again. She leaned her head on his shoulder, rather tired from the long walk out there. "Should head back...check on that girl an' get these skinned," he held up the squirrels. She removed her head from his shoulder and together, they headed back.

"It's strange, we've seen maybe five walkers the whole time we've been out here. Why?"

"The cold maybe," he shrugged, not knowing for sure. He just wanted to enjoy it while it lasted. Like Carl, he realised that sooner or later they would have to leave the hotel. He just hoped it wasn't walkers or humans to chase them out when it happened. "Maybe their ain't been many people up 'ere."

"Maybe," she agreed.

XxX

Back at the hotel, Carl was sitting with the sleeping girl they had found earlier. He still didn't know her name, he hadn't seen someone his age in a long time...it was kind of weird, but deep down, he wanted friends. He longed to have a real childhood, one with a school and friends. Though he had adapted to this world, it wasn't really what he wanted.

Slowly, the girl's eyes opened and she looked at Carl in shock. "Who are you?" she demanded. She reached for the lamp beside the bed and Carl held his hands up in defense.

"Carl," he stated.

"You're a creep, watching someone sleep? How weird is that?" she calmed down a little, remembering Rick mention he had a son named Carl.

"I was just―" He was at a loss for words. What do you say when something like this happens? He had no idea.

"You were just being a creep, that's what," she said. Looking down at her arm. "I suppose I can forgive you, sense one of your people healed up my arm," she bit her lip, looking at it. "Violet," she said.

"What?" he looked at her confused.

"Violet, it's my name."

**AN: Because this is a rewrite for the second half of season 5, I have to include other characters other than just Daryl and Beth, so each chapter you will get a taste of them, but I would like to explore other character relationships as well. I hope you enjoyed this longer chapter. Your reviews are much appreciated. **

**Updated 1 December 2015**


	4. Chapter 4

No matter what it is or how strange it sounds at first, people get used to it. The group got used to dead walking around and eating people. They got used to the fact that they all had to be weapon trained. And recently, they had gotten used to the fact that Daryl and Beth were hunting partners. The two of them left every other (sometimes every) morning at sunrise and went out to hunt for food.

At first everyone thought that they made an odd pair. But now, now it was nothing new. Violet had even integrated her way into the group. She was quiet most of the time. Unless she was around the few people she really connected with and trusted. She and Carl were especially close. She was so different to him that it fascinated him. He couldn't get enough of her eyes. They were this interesting mix that made them almost a shade of purple (hence her name).

"What are Beth and Daryl?" Violet asked Carl as they sat in his room at the hotel. She had a hard time explaining why she felt close to him as well. She wondered if normally you ended up having a special bond with the person who watched you sleep. Probably not. Unless it was some kind of Stockholm syndrome. But that didn't seem likely, since he didn't actually kidnap her or anything of the sort.

"Uh, what do you mean?"

"Are they like a couple or what?"

"No. They're just friends."

She nodded, unconvinced. Friends didn't usually spend that much time together. Or look at each other the way they did. There may have been quite an age gap, but the two were really friendly. Plus, she hadn't seen Daryl that friendly with anyone else in the group.

XxX

"Did you see that!?" Beth exclaimed.

"Shh!" Daryl hissed, trying to quiet her down.

"Oh hush. We haven't seen any walkers in weeks. Look at that shot though, Daryl. You're proud of me, aren't you?" She grinned, walking over to pick up the turkey she had shot perfectly in the eye.

"Yer aim's gettin' better," he remarked.

"Better? That was a great shot and you know it!"

"Not sayin' it wasn't," he said. "Pick the thing up so we can pluck it," he instructed. He was trying not to joke like they usually did today. Mostly because of dream he had the night before. A nightmare really. Beth had died. She as gone…he was so hurt by it in the dream. He didn't want to get attached like that. But he feared it may be too late.

"I haven't plucked one of these before," she said.

"Ain't hard."

"I'd rather live in a small house with a lot of land than a big house and no land," Beth said. They had started this game. It was kind of like "would you rather" but they got to say the whole thing. Daryl didn't reply for a minute. Beth wasn't sure if that was because he was thinking or because he didn't want to play. "C'mon Daryl..."

"Don' wanna play t'day."

"Why not? What's wrong?"

"Rather have quiet than noise."

"You've used that one before...but I'll let it go," she was in a good mood and she wanted it to rub off on him. "I'd rather be happy and live a short life than be mad all the time and live forever." Daryl tightened his jaw at that one.

"Rather be outside than inside."

"I'd rather die quickly—"

In one swift movement Daryl had her back against a tree. His hands holding her shoulders.

"Don't you dare talk 'bout dyin'!" He exclaimed. "Ya ain't gonna die, not if I got anythin' to do with it." He wasn't sure if he should be concerned or relieved that her eyes gave off zero hint of fear.

"We all die sometime," she said.

"Not you. Not ever," his face slowly moves closer to hers. And she bit her lip a little. She wanted him to kiss her so much. She yearned to feel his lips on hers once and for all.

Of course, Daryl didn't grant her this kindness. His hands fell from her shoulders and he stomped forward. "Daryl!" She called after him.

"Don't." He warned.

"Don't what? I was just catching up." This was the second time they had nearly kissed in the past two weeks. She had learned from the first time not to bring it up. "I'd rather kiss you than anybody I know," she stated. Proving she really hadn't learned her lesson.

"What'd I jus' say, Beth?"

"Look, clearly you want to do just man up and do it already! I've tried to keep my mouth shut about it from before. I can't do that anymore! Just kiss me."

"Fuck you," he murmured.

"Or that," she smirked a little (she was a little surprised by her boldness with that statement as well).

Daryl gave her the deadliest glare he could muster. "Dammit Greene!"

"I'll shut up when you stop being a pussy and kiss me," she knew that one would hit a nerve. That was probably why she said it the way she did.

He dropped his crossbow and his back pack onto the ground. He stopped close to her quickly and grabbed her face with his hands roughly before smashing his face to hers. There wasn't any way for her to actually kiss him back. It was so rough, but it was how you would expect a Daryl Dixon kiss to be. Rough.

"Now let's go," he pulled back. It seemed it lasted no time at all to Beth, but she did know she wanted to do that again.

**AN: was everything characterised okay here? I kinda just went with whatever. Let me know. And sorry I haven't updated. I've been working a ton. Please leave your reviews!**

**Updated 1 December 2015**


	5. Chapter 5

In the next week, the pushed towards Washington. The group was beaten down and ready to quit. Ultimately, they had decided staying in the hotel wasn't the best of ideas, they had to push on. Not only was it a better move for them, it was also a good way to shut Abraham up. But now, they were starving and nearing dehydration. "'M gonna circle 'round," Daryl said to the rest of the group.

"I'll join you," Beth said. Her mood was a good one, despite the shit storm around them. He scowled at her but didn't object. As they walked side by side, she started up their game. "I'd rather drive a car than a truck," she said.

"I'd rather drive a motorcycle than anythin' else," he replied, his lips threatening to turn upwards in a smile.

"I'd rather you kiss me again now than have to wait ten years," she smirked a little. He gave her another scowl.

"Why do I gotta kiss ya?"

"'Cause you're supposed to be the manly Redneck, you know, 'I Tarzan, you Jane', kind of thing."

"Ya coul' do the kissin'," he stated.

"And you wouldn't be mad at me?" she asked, sounding a little nervous as she did. He seemed to think for a minute before shaking his head. With that, Beth didn't wait a single moment. She looked at him with her big blue eyes and smiled. She pressed his lips to hers and he cradled the back of her head. "You know, Daryl Dixon, you're nothing like what I thought you'd be. When y'all arrived on my daddy's farm, I'd never thought in a million years I'd be kissin' you."

"That makes two of us. Never thought I'd be some kinda cradle robber," he murmured as he led the way into the woods further. Their relationship was one of those cases where two complete opposites just worked—if you could call it a relationship, kissing twice didn't count for much. But she was like the sunshine to his raincloud and on days that she did want to be a raincloud, he would be the lightening that brought out the heart and soul of Beth Greene, that showed her true colours. It was like that day she insisted on alcohol, he didn't try to talk her down, he went along with it and pushed her to express all of the emotions she had been trying to bottle up.

"You're not a cradle robber. This is the apocalypse. Age doesn't matter anymore," she said. "It's not even a number, really because numbers don't matter—except for how much food or water, how many miles until we get to safety. That is all that matters to us now. Not how old a person or a place is. Or how long ago there was some stupid, pointless war." She was speaking much like a philosopher today. She made a whole lot of sense though. Age really didn't matter. They were adults and outside of that it didn't make a damn bit of difference if he was thirty five or forty five. If she was nineteen or twenty-nine. They were people and if they wanted to kiss each other before they met their end, then so be it.

"I wished we'd find somethin'," he said. He was fighting the dehydration, just like everyone else.

"Me too," she said quietly. "We're gonna die if we don't find something soon..." The dehydration would indirectly cause their death if they didn't find something really soon. They would be too run down to move and then a walker would just eat them. It was really that simple.

"Beth," he warned.

"I know," she replied, she knew that he hated it if she mentioned anything about herself dying.

"Ya ain't gonna die if I've got anythin' to say 'bout it," he mumbled and she smiled a little.

"Aw, Daryl Dixon cares about little ol' me," she grinned and he rolled his eyes at her childishness.

XxX

They rejoined the group just in time to save Rick's life. However, it was too late for Violet. There was a walker bite in her neck. She could feel herself bleeding out and the group gathered around her, holding her hands until the end. Once she was dead, Carol did what she had to do and put a knife through her skull. The group stayed silent for what seemed like a long time, even though it was just a minute. Daryl didn't waist time digging a child sized grave for her. A child. She was dead. She was just gone...

Beth stood back, giving Daryl his space. She rested her head on Maggie's shoulder and frowned. "Sasha's just gonna get more of us killed," Maggie murmured.

"What do you mean?"

"She wanted to the one to kill those walkers...she broke rank...it's her fault..."

Beth could see why she wanted to relieve some of the anger after the loss of her brother a few days prior, but still, she had gotten a little girl killed.

"Drink," Glenn commanded, handing the half full water bottle to Maggie. She took a small sip and she passed it to Beth who did the same. Glenn looked at the water and then moved to walk beside Daryl. "You too, drink it."

"'M fine."

"Dixon," Beth looked over her should. "Please, drink it," she looked at him with sad eyes and he groaned before taking a small drink just to appease her. She mouthed a thank you and he nodded, still scowling.

A while later, he broke from the group again and headed into the woods, Beth didn't follow right away. She waited until he didn't come back for a while and then she decided to go too.

She followed his tracks—using the skills that he had taught her and found him. His back was against a tree and as he stared into the distance. She could see the red streaks on his cheeks as he smoked a cigarette. "Can I try that?" she asked, sitting beside him. He passed it to her and she inhaled, coughing all the while when she passed it back to him. This actually brought a small smile to his lips. She didn't ask him about the tears. If he wanted to walk, that was his choice. "What are you doing out here?"

"I jus' needed a minute," he said.

"Want me to go?"

"Yer okay," he said. She had already seen, what was the point of hiding.

"This world ain't easy, and even tough people like you need a break."

"So do rays of sunshine," he said. Normally, the phrase would've been meant to be offensive, but not in this context. "'Specially tough little ones like ya." She giggled a little. "We shou' head back," he stood hand held a hand to her. She took it, he pulled her to her feet, and off they went.

**AN: I'm so sorry it's taken so terribly long. I honestly forgot about this story and I know that there were a lot of people reading it. But now that the show's back on...I have some inspiration of how Beth would be if she were there *tear* I hope you enjoy my take on how the season should've gone. **

**Updated 1 December 2015**


	6. Chapter 6

Beth held onto Daryl's hand as they walked through the woods and after a while, he realised how much of a bad idea it was. He pulled his hand away and she immediately looked up at him with wide blue eyes.

"Ain't practical," he sated, still walking. Beth had stopped and she frowned a little. She knew that it was silly and that it really was impractical. Daryl looked over at her and saw the frown on her features. Knowing that he had only one option―so that she wouldn't look so sad. "C'mere," he said, he led her away from the clearing the were heading to and towards the woods again. She looked at him patiently and he brought his lips to hers. She smiled into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck as they continued to kiss. He pulled away and looked at her for a long moment. "Jus' 'cause I ain't touchin' ya all th'time, don' mean I don' wanna, 'kay?" he asked and she grinned a little.

"Okay," he pulled away and they walked through the clearing and Rick was standing while holding sign. 'From a friend', it said. Daryl took the paper and went over to where the rest of the group stood with water in the centre. There were various jugs and bottles and there seemed to been some sort of argument as to whether or not to drink it. Beth stayed out of it, as did Daryl. Eugene picked up one of the bottles and opened it.

"What are you doing?" Abraham asked.

"Quality assurance," the man with the mullet replied as he went to take a drink. Abraham knocked the bottle from his hands and spilt water all over Eugene's face.

At that precise moment, thunder rumbled above them and then came the rain. Everyone smiled when the water hit their faces, most of them opening their mouths. They set up bottles to fill up water. The storm became violent and they realised that they needed to get to cover.

"C'mon, I kno' a place," Daryl said, leading them to the barn, right by where he had Beth had been sitting.

XxX

They had cleared out the barn and that evening, nearly everyone sat around and talked, a few others were off on their own―Sasha, who was grieving over her brother, Noah, who didn't talk to anyone really, and Beth. She was overly tired and she knew that now would be the only time that she could get any sleep. The only thing was, she couldn't. She tried to get comfortable several times, but could not. "Beth," she looked up upon hearing Maggie.

"Hey," Beth smiled when her sister sat down beside her.

"I didn't wake ya, did I?"

"No, I couldn't sleep anyway," the blonde shrugged.

"I've been meanin' to ask you something..."

"What?"

"So, you and Daryl...What is it? I mean...y'all hae been spendin' lots of time together and..."

"Maggie..." Beth trailed off. "You know how it is...when you have only one person to count on, you get close," was the only explanation she could offer.

"How close, exactly?"

Beth let out a small sigh. "He's saved my life so many times...I don't know. We understand each other, okay?" Beth stated. "Now, I do need to get some sleep..."

"Okay," Maggie felt like there was more that her sister wasn't telling her, but she wasn't going to get any more out of Beth tonight, so she went to lay on a different part of the ground.

Beth was almost asleep when she heard someone beside her. She opened her eyes and saw Daryl sitting with his back against the wall. She didn't move for a moment, she closed her eyes once more and felt Daryl's hand push her hair back. She opened her eyes and turned her head to look up at him. He was looking back at her, and he almost turned away, but he didn't. They both stayed silent for a moment before she started to sit up.

"Go back to sleep," he said.

"You need to sleep too," she said, pulling herself into a sitting position. "I'll keep watch, if it'll make you feel better," she grinned. "I know Rick is though..."

"Ya ain't gonna sleep 'less I do, 're ya?"

"Nope." With a sigh, Daryl move to lay down and Beth followed his lead. "Good night, Redneck."

"Night, Beth," he murmured.

XxX

"I didn't get it at first," Maggie said, sitting beside Daryl the very next morning. Beth was asleep at Daryl's side and she had managed to take his hand and hold it between both of hers. As to Maggie's comment, Daryl stayed silent, hoping she would just leave everything alone. "The two of you...I see it now, an' I'll never understand it all, but both of you deserve to be happy."

The realisation of it all really hit Daryl at that moment. Beth not only made him happy...she made him different. She made him see the good in himself, she made him feel like he mattered for more than just keeping the rest of the group alive.

"She's somethin' special," Daryl replied.

"I kno', you take care of her," Maggie then went over to Sasha, whom was also awake. Daryl looked at the blonde woman and he felt a little different. It felt weird that Maggie approved of whatever was going on.

He saw Beth's eyes start to open before she looked up at him. "Hey," she smiled a little and sat up, releasing his hand.

"Wanna take a walk?" he asked. She nodded and he stood before offering her a hand she accepted it and they walked out of the barn and back towards the woods.

"Oh my God," she said, when she saw the damage the storm had caused. "What if we had been out here?"

"We weren't," he said with a shrug.

"Yeah," she agreed, looking at all of the fallen trees and then to the barn. It had been so close to hitting them. They should have been dead. All of them. A storm like this wasn't one to leave barns just standing. It should have killed them all...but it hadn't. They were alive. Beth couldn't help but wonder if there was some greater scheme out there―she hadn't believed much in God since her father died, but maybe there was a different way for them all to die. It could be much worse...But, she knew that there was nothing the could do about it, so why bother? She didn't want to waste whatever time she had left fearing death. "Maggie talked to me last night...She wanted to know what was up with us," Beth's voice was quiet when she said this.

"She an' I talked earlier. She understands..."

"How is that possible?" she looked up at him. "I don't even understand..."

Daryl took her face in his calloused hands and kissed her. "Understand better?" he asked. She bit her lip, grinning.

"I don't know," she smirked a little, this time she leaned in and kissed him.

"I ain't good with words," he said.

"In the normal world, what would you call this?"

"It wouldn't be happenin' the way things used ta be," Daryl said, and it was the truth. There was no way in hell that any of this would be happening if there weren't walkers walking around. Hell, if the two of them hadn't ended up alone together after the prison, it probably wouldn't be happening.

Beth knew it was true, too. She knew that Daryl would have been too old for her. Too different from her. They wouldn't have even spoken, had it not been for the zombie apocalypse. "I guess not..." she said. "How about you're just my Redneck?" He gave a slight eye roll and nodded.

"'Kay, Sunshine," he smiled, a real smile and kissed her once more.

**AN: I don't know how I feel about this chapter, I'm realising that I left out a bit from the new season with the whole Tyreese event, but that was a hard episode for me to watch, with Beth being in it and all :'(, but anyway, for purposes of the story, everything just happened as it did in the show―except for the Beth being dead part. But, I still thought I'd post this for all of you, so now I'm going to go get ready for a concert!**

**Updated 1 December 2015**


	7. Chapter 7

"Who the hell is this guy?" Daryl questioned as he and Beth walked back into the barn.

"Hello, I'm Aaron," the guy said. "I'm from a safe camp," he stated. Daryl just scoffed and looked at Rick. There wasn't a such thing as a safe place.

Rick walked over to Daryl and led him to the other side of the barn. Beth gave the guy a once over before going to sit beside Carl and Judith. Carl passed her the baby and a moment later, Daryl and Rick looked back at the rest of the group. They both walked back to the other side of the barn, ignoring Aaron. "We're going to sent a group out to see if what he says is true. Those who aren't in the group, I want you to go out in pairs and make a perimeter around here."

"Am I with you then, Redneck?" Beth asked, smiling a little. Daryl nodded and Rick took the baby from her arms before she followed Daryl out of the barn. They found a remote part of the woods and stood together. "I'd rather go to the beach than build a snow man," Beth began.

"I'd rather live in the country than the city."

"Never would've guessed that one," she smiled and he looked at her, a slight smirk on his lips. "I'd rather see you smile for real than glare all the time."

"I don' glare. 'S jus' my normal face."

"Well your normal face looks angry," she said, leaning against a tree.

"Maybe 'cause I've got some blonde girl always pesterin' me."

"You love having me around, and you know it. You would miss me if I wasn't here."

It was true. He had real conversations with her, but not anyone else. "Maybe," he smirked. But somehow, it didn't feel like the topic to joke about.

"How long do you think we have to be out here?" she asked.

"'Til Rick calls us back," Daryl shrugged. She pushed off the tree and came to stand directly in front of him. She grinned at him and rested her hands on his shoulders. He tensed at first but settled a little. She pressed her lips to his slowly and he kissed her back before pulling her closer. But after nearly a minute, Daryl pulled away. His blue eyes met hers and he let go of her completely. "Ain't smart, girl. Coul' get us both killed."

"Sorry...I couldn't help it," she said, her cheeks blazing red. He wanted to be angry, but he couldn't bring himself to be. He liked her too much. He enjoyed her company and he enjoyed kissing her. He had wanted to just as much as she had.

"Jus' don' do it again."

"Ever?" she gasped, looking at him with wide blue eyes. "You really don't want to kiss me ever again?"

He sighed a little, knowing that he did want to kiss her again, but he didn't really want to admit it. He seemed like that would solidify whatever this was―if you discounted her calling him _her redneck_ that morning. This was a crossroads and he had the choice of whether to back out now or to continue this course. He knew that this course probably didn't lead anywhere good. One of them would die eventually. But, the rational part of his brain lost the battle. "Ya kno' that ain't true," he stated.

"That's what I thought."

They stood out there for nearly another hour before they heard noise back towards the barn. They went back and Rick had decided that they would go to this camp―reluctantly. He had also decided that they would leave at sun down.

"Isn't that going to be more dangerous?" Beth asked Daryl. He just shrugged.

"Rick's the leader, that's what 'e tol' me."

"Okay..." Beth said a little nervously. She knew that there was a higher abundance of walkers at night, but what was she to do? All she could do was follow everyone else's lead.

XxX

The RV sped down the road as it followed the car in front of them. Beth sat with her sister and they were discussing the possiblities of this new place.

"I don' want this to be another place like Grady," Beth said.

"Or Terminus," Maggie added.

"Woodbury..."

"We haven't had much luck have we?"

"No, but we have to go. We have to follow whatever hope there is."

"You sound like Dad," Maggie said, a little proud of her sister. She knew that Beth hadn't had it easy―none of them really had―but, she was still positive, which was good.

"I still miss 'im."

"Me too, but he's with us, you know he is. He loved us more than anything."

"I know..."

A sickening sound filled Beth's ears of guts squishing and a thump on the front of the RV. She looked and saw a sea full of walkers in front of them. She gasped a little but due to the cautious driving, they were able to make it through the walkers. The only trouble was that the vehicle that had been in front of them wasn't there any more. "Shit," Daryl cursed.

"Do we know where we are?" Rosita asked.

"Not exactly, I didn't see a road sigh through all of the walker guts," Abraham replied. All of them sat, trying to think of what to do, when they saw a flare go off in the distance.

"That's gotta be them," Rosita said. "Aaron had the flare." Daryl put the RV and drive and managed to find his way there. However, what they found was not what they were looking for. It was an injured man.

"Hi, I'm Eric," he said nervously.

"What happened?" Carol questioned.

"I fell, I hurt my ankle...Did you come because of the flare?"

"We did," Eugene said.

"Look at the flare, it's the same as Aaron's," Rosita pointed out.

"Aaron? Have you seen him? Is he okay?"

"He was with us, then he wasn't," Daryl said.

"He was in the car in front of us," Beth elaborated. "We lost them somehow."

"Let's get you inside," Carol suggested.

They got Eric set up inside and she managed to get his ankle wrapped properly. The group weighed their options, they could leave now and have no clue where they were or they could wait. The others may have seen the flare and could be on their way here, but they had no way of knowing.

"Let's just stay for the night, it's dark and we won't have any luck out there right now," Beth stated. Everyone seemed to accept that and they went on to make arrangements for the night. Daryl walked beside Beth, as he seemed to do a lot. "We'll leave at dawn, either way." She was being so decisive and he kind of liked it, she had the qualities to be a good leader―but so did he―neither of them liked to use those qualities unless they had to. He gave her a nod and she returned it.

XxX

They were in luck, the group arrived a short while later. Everyone collectively agreed to stay the night and as it turned out, Aaron was Eric's boyfriend and they were more than willing to help the next day. However, Aaron required being allowed to sleep beside Eric. After some coaxing, Rick finally agreed. Everyone else got settled in for the night. Once again, Daryl tried to take watch, but Beth wouldn't allow it.

"I know you didn't sleep much last night."

"Never do," he stated.

"I don't care, Redneck. You're sleeping for once."

He wanted to complain, but she wasn't taking no for an answer, he knew that. So he gave in.

**AN: I meant to post this last night, but I forgot. I'm sorry. Please review!**

**Updated 1 December 2015**


	8. Chapter 8

"I'm not so sure about this place," Beth said as they pulled up at the fences.

"Weren't you the one who said we needed to have hope?" Maggie asked, looking at her sister.

"We do," she agreed. She took a deep breath and pulled the car door open. Daryl fell in step with her as the group gathered in front of the gate. Daryl's presence was protecting over Beth. She could feel it. He was ready to fire his crossbow at will. When they opened the gate, he shot a possum.

"We brought dinner," he said, holding it up.

Once inside, their leader wanted to take a moment to get to know each of them, in an interview type fashion. Rick went first, of course and everyone else sat in a living room type area, waiting to go. When it was Beth's turn, she walked into the room and Deanna, the leader, asked if she could film their interview.

"I don't see why not," Beth took a seat in the chair, crossing her legs.

"What's your name?"

"Beth...Beth Greene."

"I'm Deanna. It's nice to meet you," she gave a genuine smile.

"You too."

"What did you do before this, Beth?"

"Oh, I was just in High School. I would help my daddy on the farm―take care of cows, chickens...all that kind of stuff."

"How old are you Beth?"

"Nineteen―barely."

"How it works around here is we give everyone a job...Where do you think you would fit in?"

"I'm good with children," she said, not wanting to mention anything to do with her experience with medicine. She may understand a little bit of how that stuff worked; however, she didn't want any reminders of Grady. She wanted to live for today. That place was gone and she would ignore the things she had learned.

"We have a school. We teach the young kids in the morning, the older ones in the after noon. I think you would make a great teacher. Probably for the little kids."

"I'd like that, Deanna," she smiled kindly.

XxX

The shower was exhilarating. It made Beth feel like a new person. She even got to shave her legs. It felt great. She felt like herself once again. Finally. She stepped out of the bathroom and nearly ran right into Daryl.

"Hey," she smiled.

"Hey," his gruff voice said.

"You should shower, you stink," she said, wringing out her wet hair.

"I will," he said. "Later."

"I won't kiss you until you do," she said quietly.

"Somehow I don't believe you," he brought his face close to hers, lips almost touching.

"Well you should," her voice was barely a whisper.

"Mm hmm," he said, brushing his lips against hers. She kissed him back―it wasn't even a question. She enjoyed kissing him.

"Daryl," they pulled away right away―like two teenagers being caught red handed. Rick stood a few meters away, small smile gracing his lips. "I was just going to tell you I'm going to stay up for watch, for a while," he said, before heading back to what he was doing.

"People are bound to find out sooner or later."

"There's something to find out?" he asked, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Isn't there?" she replied, curious as to what he actually thought.

He shrugged. "I don' do whatever this is," he said.

"Every time I do, they end up dead," Beth said sadly. "i don't want you to end up like another one of them. Not like Jimmy...or Zack..."

"I ain't plannin' on it, anytime soon, anyway."

"But you can't promise it," she bit her lip. "Daryl...I like being around you and I'm scared."

"So am I," he was almost too quiet for her to even hear and it made her frown. She wrapped her arms around his neck and they stood quietly for a few minutes.

"But maybe it's worth the risk...I'd rather be happy for a little while than not at all."

"Me too," he agreed.

Beth's heart rate quickened and she kissed Daryl. He deepened the kiss, by wrapping his arms around her middle. But he regained his senses. He pulled away completely.

"We need ta get some sleep," he told her.

"We do," she agreed. "But you also need a shower."

"Tomorrow," he said.

XxX

The next morning, Beth dressed in nicer clothes that she had been given so that she could go help teach the little kids. She walked out onto the porch and found Daryl.

"Not ya too," he stated.

"Not me too?" she asked.

"Dressin' like that," he motioned to her attire.

"I'm going to go teach a class, Daryl."

"Carol already walked out 'ere dressed like that," he said. He didn't get it. They move to this once fancy ass town and now they were just acting like they were all proper and shit.

"You still need to shower," she told him before walking over to press a kiss to his cheek.

"I'll get there," he smiled at her a little.

"I'll see you in a few hours," with that, she headed off to her job.

"You and Beth, huh?" Rick asked, walking out onto the porch. Daryl just shrugged. "I'm happy for you Daryl. You should be happy."

"We spent 'lot a time together, out there..."

"You don't have to justify it to me. I get it. I'm happy for both of you," Rick smiled genuinely.

XxX

That evening, they were splitting up into the two different houses. Beth looked at her bag for a minute, unsure of where she should go. If she should stay in this house, or go to the other one.

"Where ya sleepin'?" Daryl asked. They weren't the only ones in the room, but, most of the rest of the group was working on getting their own things together.

"Trying to figure that out," she smiled.

"There's still a bedroom upstairs," he said. "I'm takin' the couch in here."

"Okay," she agreed. That was his way of asking her to stay in the same house as him. It was something, at least. That was very much a commitment from Daryl. "It'll be good because Judith is staying over here too, and I can help out," she smiled.

"Mm hmm."

"You still haven't showered," she said, just realising this.

"I will," he shrugged. If he showered, that was a commitment to stay. He didn't know if he was ready for that.

**AN: Well, there you have it. The first new chapter in nearly a year. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. I'm honestly surprised to have 5 reviews in less than a day to continue this, so here it is! Please continue to leave your reviews, it motivates me!**


	9. Chapter 9

When Daryl walked back into the house, he found Beth to be walking around with Judith, singing. He couldn't quite catch the tune, but a smile tugged on the corner of his mouth, nonetheless.

"Daryl's here, Judith," Beth cooed to the little girl. "Say hi," she smiled. Judith reached her little hand towards Daryl. "Thought you were goin' huntin'―that's what Carl told me." He had left before she had a chance to wake up, this morning. It was Saturday, meaning there was no school for the children.

"Was. Needed a minute ta myself. I came back to see if ya wanted to come with me."

"Sure, I'll be ready in five minutes," she smiled. She went to put Judith back upstairs and pull her hair in a ponytail. She had been wearing it down a lot more lately now that it was clean. Speaking of clean. She just realized that Daryl hadn't taken a shower yet. She rolled her eyes in slight annoyance with the redneck. "I'm ready," she said, coming back into the living room. She had also let Carl know that she was leaving, so he could be with Judith.

"Tha' was more like six," he said, referring to how long it took her to get ready.

"Plenty of time for you to shower," she countered and he just shrugged. They walked to the armoury and grabbed the gun Daryl had given her as well as a rifle with a silencer on it. They left the gate and headed into the woods. "I'd rather you take a shower than go around smellin'," she said, watching him for a reaction.

"I'd rather ya leave me 'lone 'bout showerin'," he stated.

"Well that's too damn bad," she smirked.

"Beth," there was a warning in his tone that made her want to push her limits a little more.

"Maybe I'll have to strip you down and put you in there myself," she could barely get the words out without a blush covering her face and neck.

He gave her one of his famous Daryl Dixon glares. She smiled as a low growl emitted from his throat. He backed her towards a tree and claimed her lips with his own. By the time their kiss was over, Beth's head was swimming. It had been breath-taking―the kind of kiss you read about in books that knocks you out of your senses and she couldn't help but smile.

"C'mon, we're out 'ere ta hunt." She nodded and fell to his side as they began walking. Very soon, he heard footsteps―not the walker kind, either. These were sure steps, not the stumbling kind. He rose his crossbow and Beth did the same with her rifle. She had to admit, it was a little big for her and she had a feeling the kickback would send her on her ass. "Come out," Daryl's voice demanded and out walked Aaron.

"You can tell the difference between humans and walkers by the sound of their footsteps?" Aaron asked. Daryl didn't say a word and Beth knew he wouldn't. "Can you tell the difference between a good person and a bad person? That's something Rick's not too good at..."

"Don' make much of a difference no more," Daryl said with a shrug. "Why ya followin' us?"

"I wasn't aware that I was. I was out here to hunt rabbits," Aaron replied, looking between Beth and Daryl. Could there be something more going on between them than it appeared? He hadn't been able to see too much of the two one-on-one when he had been observing the group before. "Can I join you two?"

Daryl was so close to saying, "Three's a crowd," but he didn't get to. Beth knew that they had to make nice with the new group. They had to, if they wanted to be able to stay and do as they pleased.

So, Beth replied with, "C'mon then," and started walking away.

After nearly an hour of walking around, they came across a horse in a field. "His name is Buttons," Aaron told the both of them. "One of the kids named him when he ran by the fence. I've been trying to catch him for months."

Aaron gave Daryl the rope and he went to try to catch the horse. Except, the problem was, walkers started coming out of nowhere and the horse ran off. They all killed the walkers off rather quickly and started walking.

Aaron started giving a speech to Daryl about fitting in how people wouldn't be afraid of him if they tried, and how people were less and less afraid of Aaron each day―their fear began with he and Eric being homosexuals. He also told both of them about the party, and Aaron urged Daryl to go to it.

They tried to save the horse, they really did, once they caught up to him again, walkers surrounded him and he went down. Aaron ended up doing the only thing that could be done for him. He put the poor horse out of his misery after they had taken care of the walkers.

XxX

"Go to the party, Beth," Daryl said, finality in his tone.

"Are _you_ going?" she asked.

"Maybe," he replied. "Go on. I don' need no babysitter."

"I didn't say you did. Go with me," she pleaded.

"Might meet you there," he offered.

"I'll accept that, only if you give me a kiss," she smirked. He pressed his lips to hers gently before leaving.

**AN: I know, this chapter is really short. I wanted to thank you guys for all the reviews from yesterday's chapter, and usually I will not update two days in a row, but here it is. I hope you liked it. And I love your feedback!**


	10. Chapter 10

Daryl walked upstairs to go to the bathroom, but he found there was someone else in there already. Beth stood, facing the mirror, touching the side of her head. Curious, he took a step closer and she met his eyes in the mirror before giving him a small smile.

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked, stepping into the bathroom.

"Wondering if I'll ever grow hair here again," she said, touching the left side her her head. His calloused fingers gingerly touched the spot. There was concentration in his eyes as he did this. "Well?" she asked.

"Probably not," he admitted. Then, he did something that surprised the both of them. He placed a light kiss over the scar. The scar she had received from the bullet that nearly killed her. The scar that had been a product of his hasty stitch work.

She turned, meeting his eyes and bit her lip. She tiptoed up to press a long kiss to his lips. He kissed her back, completely without hesitation. She pushed the door closed before taking steps backwards. He followed her, mostly missing everything that was going on. He knew that a walker could not sneak up on them here, he was allowed to be oblivious for a minute. He could―icy water sprayed him in the face. Beth's laugh filled his ears as she stood under the same cold water. They were both fully dressed, but now soaking wet.

"There, I've been telling you to take shower," she giggled. He scowled at her as a low growl came from his throat. "I'll let you be," she grabbed a towel and dried off her hair. "I'll grab your bag so you can have some dry clothes," she said as she left the bathroom. It was completely worth it. That dirty redneck had needed a shower long before they had arrived at Alexandria and it was about time he took one.

XxX

After Daryl's unplanned shower, he walked downstairs to find Beth with a sleeping Judith in her arms while she read a book. He felt a smile on his face―they were the only two in the house, currently. Carl was with some of the other kids, Rick was working as their constable, Maggie was with Deanna, Glenn was on a run, and Carol was working in the pantry.

"Morning, Daryl," Beth greeted, not looking over her shoulder. As if she saw the questioning look on his face, she gave him a simple answer to how she knew he was there. "I learned from the best hunter and tracker there is. There was a floor board that squeaked as you went across it."

"Yer gettin' there, girl," he said, sitting next to her on the couch.

"I am," she grinned. "You look much better clean, Dixon."

"Mm," he replied, giving her a slightly dirty look.

"Be mad all you want, you needed that," she said simply. Judith stirred and Beth smiled at the little girl. She didn't cry, and Beth knew precisely what Judith wanted. She wanted to play. So, that being said, Beth set her down and allowed her to go to the small assortment of toys on the floor.

"I gotta tell ya somethin'," Daryl told her.  
"What's that?" she asked, fearing the worst. What if he decided that maybe they shouldn't be whatever they were. She did not want that.

"They finally gave me a job," he said.

"Yeah?" she was still waiting to hear the bad part of all this.

"'M gonna be a recruiter, with Aaron," he waited for Beth to be mad―it wasn't like it would change anything for what he wanted to do, but part of him still wanted her approval.

"I think that's great, Daryl. I know you, you need to be out there..." she smiled, biting her lip. "I'll miss you like crazy, but I know you'll be back. You always come back," she smiled nervously.

"I'll be back," he confirmed.

"When do you leave?"

"Today," he replied.

"When?"

"Now," he said, kind of sadly.

"Well, I'll see you off," she said, trying not to be sad. She was hoping that today, they could have a quiet day in the house, kind of relax indoors for once. But, apparently not.

"A'right." Beth picked up Judith and the trio walked to Aaron's house. Aaron and Eric were both already outside and the garage door was open. Daryl wheeled out his bike and Beth smiled.

"It suits you," she grinned at him. He gave the smallest of smiles and brought it out beside Beth and Judith before putting the kickstand up. He gave Beth a quick kiss. "Be safe," she said.

"We'll be back soon," he said―no kind of time limit on it, just soon. What was she supposed to do with that? Worry until he arrived―well she was going to do that anyway. She cared about Daryl. He was her redneck and she would miss going in the woods with him. Hopefully, she could find adequate distractions for the time being. She gave him a nod as he led the way on the bike. Aaron followed in a car and Eric offered her a smile.

"You two are cute," he said. "It's nice to know that he has a soft side."

"It's kinda hard to get there," Beth smiled.

"Can I hold her?" he asked, referring to the baby. Beth nodded.

"This is Judith, I don't know if you two met before..." she said, passing the child to Eric.

"No, we didn't. Is she yours?" Beth shook her head. "Daryl's?"  
"No, Rick's, actually. His wife died giving birth to her..." Beth offered.

"I'm so sorry," he frowned.

"We raise her though...All of us."

"You guys are probably the most close-knit group we've come across in all the times we've been out there. It's great to see..."

"We're a family," Beth smiled, thinking of her group. They were a family. She was so happy to have her group. She loved them.

"Do you want to come in?" Eric offered, passing Judith back to Beth.

"Um, sure," she said. Maybe it was good to really get to know the other people in this town. They would be an extension of her family soon enough. And, Daryl was gone, as was Aaron.

"Tea?" he offered.

"Yeah, that sounds good."

The two sat at the kitchen table and Eric smiled. It had been a while since had someone over just to talk―Daryl was over last night, but that hadn't really counted. "So tell me about you and Daryl. I'm still surprised that he has a girlfriend."

"I wouldn't call myself his girlfriend," she said with a little laugh. "We haven't put a label on it, really. We just...are."

"That seems like him," Eric laughed. "How long?"

"I'm not even sure, it's been a while now...He saved me life."

"How'd he do that?"

"I was shot in the head, the bullet grazed me, but I lost a lot of blood, he was the one to stitch me up. After that, we got closer and closer..."

"You really love him, don't you?"

Love. _That_ kind of love hadn't crossed her mind. Yeah, she loved him like she loved Glenn or Rick. But was she really _in love_ with Daryl? She was afraid, if she was. Because if she was _in love_ with Daryl then she knew that it would hurt a whole lot more than it would have before. Like with Jimmy or Zach, she had cared about both of them, but she hadn't been _in love_.

"He's a lot greater than he gives himself credit for," she smiled. It was true. She knew that Daryl didn't have a high opinion of himself, but he should. He didn't realise that without him, the group wouldn't be there. They would have all died long ago. But, they were there, because Daryl was brave and an amazing provider for the group. He had equal importance as Rick did.

**AN: So there's this chapter. It's kind random, I'm kind of trying to follow the episodes, and since there wasn't a lot of Daryl in that episode, I just went with this. Please leave your reviews! And, Daryl finally showered!**


	11. Chapter 11

Beth. She was the first thing to cross Daryl's mind as he drove his bike back towards Alexandria's walls. Morgan was in the car with Aaron and Daryl was solo on his bike. He didn't know what Beth would've thought if he had never came back. Would she have eventually accepted that he was dead? Would she have moved on. Then he corrected himself. Moved on from what? What were they? Whether he liked it or not, the blonde meant a hell of a lot to him. It wasn't just because they were "together", it was more than that. Despite everything―their age gap, their backgrounds, and their differences in pretty much everything else, they made it work. They had become more than just friends. More than just close to one another. With or without the words, they were a couple.

He felt guilty. He had volunteered himself in order to save Aaron's life. That was something he wouldn't have thought twice about before he and Beth had gotten close. Why was that? Why was it that he felt bad just because he could've hurt her feelings. That was not something that Daryl Dixon should be concerned about. What the hell was wrong with him? I let out a low growl and pushed his focus to the road.

XxX

"Maggie," Beth walked hurriedly down the steps to find her sister sitting quietly on the couch. Soon, there was to be a meeting to find out what Alexandria wanted to do about Rick, given that he had been in a fight just yesterday, while pointing a gun at other people.

"Yeah?" she asked, pursing her lips.

"Can I talk to you?"

"What is it? You're not pregnant, are you?" That was Maggie's first thought. She didn't know the entirety of what was going on between her baby sister and a certain cross-bow wielding redneck, but she had assumed that _something_ must have happened to make it possible for Beth to be pregnant.

"No!" the blonde exclaimed. "Daryl and I haven't even...done _it_."

"Really?" Maggie asked surprised. That was how she and Glenn had started their relationship.

"Really! But...I think I want to." a blush crept onto her cheeks and Beth looked away.

"Make sure you use protection," Maggie couldn't fault her sister for wanting to have sex. Beth may have been young, but she wasn't a child. She had waited longer than Maggie had when she was in her teens. Plus, even if they were staying in a nice little town where stuff rarely happened, you could die at any point in time.

"Do you think I should?" Beth asked nervously.

"You were the one who had always wanted to wait until you were married," Maggie laughed a little. "And, I don't know Daryl like you do, nobody knows him like you do." She paused for a moment. "He's not pressuring you into this, is he?"

"Daryl? No way!" she said. "He hasn't even suggested it...I...I don't know. I feel like he waits for me to make a lot of the moves..." Beth was kind of uncomfortable talking about this stuff. If the world had been how it used to be, she would have had a best friend to ask these things, instead of her sister. But, she reminded herself, if the world hadn't changed, she wouldn't even know who Daryl Dixon was. And that, she had to admit, would be a shame.

XxX

He had to pull over for fuel. Daryl was nearing empty on his bike. There was about half a can left in Aaron's car and they knew it wouldn't get the both of them back. He cursed under his breath, stepping off.

"I'm going to go check the cars," Morgan said, they had stopped where three cars had pulled over on the side of the road.

"You okay?" Aaron asked Daryl.

"'M fine."

"You seem deep in thought. Thinking about your girl?" it was just a question, but Daryl didn't know how to answer. Beth was his girl. So he nodded, slowly. "If you wouldn't have come back, you were wondering what she would've thought, right?" Daryl nodded again. "That's what I was thinking to...about Eric. Love is a tricky thing," he gave a small smile and the trio gathered what they could from the vehicles and were on their way once again. Daryl hopped on his bike and Aaron and Morgan into the car.

Love. Daryl didn't know what to think of that. Was that how he felt? Love. He never thought in a million years that he could love anybody. Hell, he didn't even know what the hell "love" felt like. Was this it? If it was, it sucked. He didn't want to feel guilty for something like this.

XxX

"Your dad's going to be fine, y'know," Beth said, crossing her legs under her as she sat on the couch. _Shrek _played in the background as she babysat Judith with Carl during the meeting.

"I know," he replied. "This is home."

"It is," she smiled a little, holding Judith close to her. "And if the worst happens and we leave this place...we still have each other. That's what matters."

"We're family," he agreed. They sat in silence for a moment, neither paying attention to the movie, both deep in thought. "Are you thinking about Daryl?"

"How'd you know?" she asked.

"You guys are totally together, so why wouldn't you? Just like earlier when Maggie was sitting in here thinking about Glenn. You worry. But neither of you need to. Daryl can handle himself."

"He can," she agreed, smiling a little. "You sure are wise for your age."

"Don't you know? Age really doesn't matter know. I may be younger than a lot of people here, in number, but I'm also older than them."

"You have had to grow up really quickly." How he had changed from the shot little boy who came into her house so long ago. He was practically an adult now, at just the age of fourteen.

"Yeah," he agreed. "I don't want Judith to have to. She deserves to be a kid before she can't be any more," he said sadly.

"She will, Carl. I don't think we're going anywhere for a while," she ruffled his hair. She didn't think about it until then, but she had also grown up a lot. She had toughened up quite a bit from the beginning of this all. She even remembered when she was much like the Alexandria group. She hadn't been prepared for this world until Rick's group had come in and taught them how it had to be. "I'm going to go make French Fries, do you want any?"

"I'd love some." 

**AN: I know it's been a minute since I've updated, but here's another chapter. I don't know how I feel about it. I wrote it in a short amount of time and...I dunno. Do you all think things are progressing properly? I don't know if I've mentioned this before, but this is my first fic without an OFC. So I'm not used to this characterisation. **


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: STOP! PAUSE! DO NOT PASS GO!**

** This is chapter 12, I updated a couple days ago and took down the Author's note that I had put up, so it may appear that this is my first update in a while, but it is not! If you have not read actual chapter 11, turn back now!**

Beth, Carl, and Judith slept soundly in the living room. The end credits rolled on the screen and when Daryl made his way into the dark house, he couldn't help the smile on his lips from seeing Beth. He touched her shoulder lightly and he blue eyes opened to meet his.

"Daryl!" she jumped up from the couch and wrapped him in a tight hug. Carl stretched out on the couch at that moment and there was no way that the young teen would be moving any time soon.

"'M back," he said. He felt so happy, just being able to see her. It was strange to him, but in the very best way possible.

"I'm so glad. Let me put Judith in her crib and then...you can sleep upstairs with me since Carl took over the couch," she smiled and he nodded slightly. She scooped up Judith and took her upstairs with Daryl behind her. Putting the child in the crib, she turned back to face Daryl once again. "I missed you, y'know."

"Mm hmm," that was his way of agreeing without saying it. "Was glad to be out there though," and he was, he needed to be away from Alexandria every once in a while.

"Well I'm glad that you're in here for now," she wrapped her arms around his neck and didn't hesitate to place a kiss on his lips.

"Me too," he wrapped his arms around her as well. He was getting used to being close to her, part of him, really liked when they stood close like this and embraced. The other part of him, the person he used to be, felt uncomfortable by being close to her. He hadn't really had a woman who he had true feelings for. _You sound like you're in some damn chick flick_, the voice in his head said. And he did, but he pushed it down and out of his head.

"Let's get some sleep though, it's late," Beth led the way to her room and she grabbed clothes from the dresser before heading off to the bathroom to change. When she came back, Daryl was toeing off his boots and sliding under the blankets. He had an expression his face that she could only read as uneasiness. She crawled under the covers with him and turned off the bedside lamp.

"There was a place out there, it was bad, Beth. Had ta have some bad people," Daryl started.

"Far from here?" she asked, scooting closer to him.

"Not far 'nough. They had traps set up with walkers ta trap whoever came in."

"How'd you get out?" she asked, now fully awake.

"Stupid luck. A guy who knew Rick from b'fore found us, helped us get out," he explained.

"I don't know what I would've done if you didn't come back," she said, tears beginning to fall from her cheeks on their own accord.

He fought with himself for a moment before pulling her into him. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his chest.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," she said. "You deserve someone much stronger than me," she felt so insecure at that moment.

"All I wan' is ya," the words left Daryl's mouth on their own accord. All he could think was how if Merle was here and had heard him say something like that and sincerely mean it, he wouldn't ever hear the end of it.

Beth sniffled a little and met Daryl's eyes. She could tell he was thinking, always thinking. That was what he did. "I love you," the words fell from her lips silently as she placed a quick kiss to his lips. "You don't have to say anything back, I just...I wanted you to know," she rested her head on his chest and his grip tightened a little bit on her and she fell peacefully asleep. But he didn't Daryl didn't know if he would get any sleep tonight.

As he lay, cuddled close to Beth, he couldn't think of anything other than the words she had said to him. She loved him. How? How could she love him? Especially in that way. He didn't feel like he deserved her. The two were so different from one another and she was good. Everything about her was good.

The more he thought about it, the more he knew that he felt similar feelings for her though. How he felt when he was gone, worrying about her, he knew that it had to be some sort of _love_. He hated this damn chick flick moments. That was not who Daryl Dixon was. He was not the male lead of some chick flick. He was a crossbow wielding, motorcycle riding, redneck, badass. Not a Ryan Gosling wanna be.

Despite all of that, his gruff voice created sound in the silence of the room. "I love ya." He knew that she couldn't hear him, but it meant just as much to him.

**AN: I'm sorry it was short, I didn't have much inspiration for this chapter, but I knew that I should probably put an update out, so here it is. **


	13. Chapter 13

"Wanna go huntin'?" When Beth woke up, the first thing she saw was Daryl dressed and standing in her bedroom. She stretched a little, touching the warm spot where he had been sleeping only a few moments before.

"Yeah," she yawned. "I'll be ready in five minutes," she promised and he nodded. He headed downstairs and grabbed one of the take away cups they had. He put a tea bag in first and then poured water from the kettle Maggie had just taken from the stove. He put the lid on it and when Beth walked in, he offered it to her. "Thank you, Daryl," she couldn't help her smile. Maggie sent her a knowing smile as well. It was barely light outside and Beth had almost two hours before she needed to be at work.

"We don' 'ave much time, do we?"

"No, but it'll be okay," she grinned as they headed out towards the woods. They did not stop to check out guns, they just went into the woods with Daryl's crossbow. "I'd rather be out here with you than go to work today," she said. It sounded so weird for her to call it work. This was like a communist society because they all worked at different jobs but received equal rations.

"Me too," he agreed. They were in comfortable silence for a while and Beth debated for a moment. She didn't know if she should bring up the fact that she hadn't been as asleep as he thought she had been last night. When he told her he loved her. But then decided not to bring it up. She didn't need to. She knew he loved her, and he knew that she loved him. That was really what mattered. She didn't need him to say it while they were awake. That was a lot of fuss over nothing.

"Y'know when you ask me to go hunting now, it's more like the two of us are just going for a walk in the woods," she laughed.

"'S nice ta get outta there for a while," he said with a shrug.

"Especially with you, Daryl Dixon," she grinned and he just rolled his eyes while smiling a little.

**AN: That was the shortest chapter I have ever written. I am so sorry guys, but I thought that I would give you a little bit of something so that I could post this Author's Note. I have no idea where to go with this. I really need some ideas, I'm probably going to start rewatching season 6 tomorrow, but I just don't know. It was weird to leave this story for a whole year and then come back. I could really use some ideas! Thanks!**


	14. Chapter 14

"Daryl..." Beth said, as they walked through the woods outside of Alexandria.

"Hmm?"

"Why don't you just sleep in my room every night?" She asked. The couch can't be comfortable," she added, watching him nervously.

Daryl thought for a long moment. If he moved into her room, it would be a lot of commitment. That meant something, a lot of something, actually. "Ya don' wanna live with me," he said.

"Yes I do, c'mon, Daryl. You're not going to be here much anyway and we don't get to come out here as much. My room is at least kinda private."

"A'right," he agreed after a moment. He was still slightly conflicted about living with Beth, being as he had never lived with a woman. Definitely not one he cared about like he cared about Beth. She grinned and nudged his arm with hers.

"This'll be fun," she said.

"Mm hmm."

XxX

While Beth taught the little kids, Daryl had decided to stay out in the woods for a while. He needed time to think about everything. About how to process all of it. This was certainly going to be a change. He and Beth already lived under the same roof, but nowadays that was not such a big deal. Living in one room, sleeping in one bed, _that_ was a big deal.

After a while, Daryl went back to the house they all shared and picked up his duffel bag from the floor in the living room. He took his bag upstairs to Beth's bedroom. Unsure of where to set it, he put it at the foot of her―_their_ bed. Their bed. He didn't know how he really felt about that. Yes, he loved Beth. He had never loved a woman like that, but this was a big step.

"Beth?" Maggie poked her head into Beth's room when she heard noise, but saw Daryl instead. "Oh, sorry, I thought Beth was home early."

Daryl shook his head in reply before saying, "No, it's jus' me."

Maggie saw Daryl's bag and just nodded. She didn't say anything about it, but she really was happy for the two of them. "Alright, I've gotta go meet with Deanna," she said, leaving.

Soon, Beth came home and saw that Daryl's bag was no longer downstairs, she smiled and went upstairs. The bathroom attached to her room had the door closed and she assumed Daryl was in there, after she noted his bag in the room. She took her hair down from her pony tail and brushed out her hair. Daryl walked out of the bathroom―having just have showered.

"Well hello," she greeted. "You showered."

"Mm hmm," she walked over and gave him a quick kiss. He kissed her back and she deepened the kiss―wrapping her arms around his neck. He kissed her back, his arms around her waist.

"I love you," she murmured. The words had left her lips without her permission, but she didn't really care. He already knew.

"Me too," he said and she smiled. That was really close to saying it. Maybe he'd get there eventually, but for now, that was a step in the right direction. She ran her fingers through his wet hair, enjoying the fact that he actually showered.

"I was thinking about making dinner for everyone, did you catch anything earlier?"

"Just some rabbits. Haven't skinned 'em yet."

"Can you show me how to skin them?"

"Mm hmm," he agreed. They went to sit on the back porch at the picnic table.

"I used to want to live somewhere like this. Not necessarily the big houses, but like a community. I wanted to find a man to marry. Someone who made me happy, have a couple kids, and just live."

"An' now?" he asked.

"Now, I'm happy with what I have. I'm happy to be with you and even if we don't have a house to ourselves, we have a room. And, we have a loving family around us. This is all I need," she smiled.

"So 'm good 'nough?"

"Of course you're good enough! You're better than just good enough, Daryl! I'm in love with you!" Beth smiled happily and he had a little smile on his face. He preceded to show her how to skin a rabbit. The two did this in silence for a long while and Daryl ended up helping her make a stew. They had the house to themselves for a long while―Carol had taken Judith to work with her and everyone else was at their respective places. It was nice for the two of them, they were able to bond.

By the time everyone started coming home, the stew was done and they had also baked fresh bread for the group. When Carol walked into the kitchen, she looked surprised.

"I was just about to make something," she said. "You two didn't have to do all of this."

"We wanted to," Beth smiled. "Besides, we were home anyway," she shrugged. Carol smiled and nodded before going to set the rest of the table. This was as normal as it could get for them. There may have been dead people walking around everywhere, but they were able to have a home cooked meal.

Everyone gathered at the table and ate their meal. It seemed really normal―they were all talking about what they had done that day. Beth and Daryl sat side by side and Maggie tried not to stare at them as the two sent glances at one another. It was really sweet that the two had become so close.

"Do you like teaching the little kids?" Carol asked Beth.

"I do," she smiled. "There aren't very many of them, but it's nice to know that there are still kids around, y'know? It gives me a lot of hope. Do you like working in the pantry?"

"It's much different than what I'm used to, that's for sure," Carol replied.

This whole town was different for them, but it was nice. It was a nice change of pace―something that they needed to have in their lives.

**AN: So there's that chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. I think I'm going to have a few chapters between when season six started. I'm sorry if it's not the best, I'm really sick right now and I can't focus the greatest on something. Your reviews are loved and welcome―as well as ideas for the story! Thank you!**


	15. Chapter 15

The group sat at dinner together, enjoying the food and the boring small talk. That was mostly what their lives had become. Boring. But it was a great break from everything that had happened. As Carl told a story about something that Judith had done earlier that day, Beth let her mind wander. As her mind wandered, as did her hand. She had her hand rested on Daryl's leg under the table. Shyly, she moved her hand higher, causing him to turn towards her swiftly. She smiled bashfully and moved her hand away, but smirked at him.

"What're ya doin'?" he asked, slightly glaring.

"Hmm nothin'," she hummed, eating her food some more, playing innocent.

"Sure don' seem like nothin'," his voice was only loud enough for her to hear.

"Why? Do you want it to be somethin'?"

Beth wasn't sure what had gotten into her, but she kind of liked it. She had taken control and lead Daryl to their bedroom. It had been a few weeks since they began sharing a room and she was ready to finally do it, since he hadn't made the move. She shut and locked the door behind them. Daryl rose an eyebrow, but did not stop. She slowly began undoing the buttons on his shirt. That was what got his attention. His hands rested on hers, rightly stilling her movements.

"What 're ya doin', girl?"

"Daryl, I want to have sex with you," she blurted out, deciding it was high time that she finally do so.

"What?" he asked it like it was the most ridiculous thing that he had ever heard.

"What do you mean what? Is it so crazy that after all this time, I _want_ to have sex with you? I love you and we could all die tomorrow!"

"You think I don' kno' that?"  
"I know you know that. That's why I don't know why you didn't want to sooner..."

"Ya kno' how long 's been fer me? Too long. It ain' gonna be great."

"I have a confession to make," she said, biting her lip. "I've never had sex with anybody...so I have a feeling it won't be great anyway."

He tried to think of another reason why they shouldn't. She could get pregnant. "I don' want ya ta―"

"I have condoms," she said. "They're in the bedside drawer and have been...for a while. Maggie asked Glenn to get him when he left a while ago."

"I don' wanna ruin yer first time," he felt so insecure and this was an awkward discussion. Speaking frankly, he hadn't been with terribly too many people and most of the time when he was with someone, he was drunk off his ass and so were they. He hadn't found sex to be something that he _needed_ to live.

"The only think that would ruin it, is if it wasn't with someone who I love. I _want_ it to be with you and _only_ you," she smiled at him and waited for him to say something else. But he never did.

His lips landed on hers once again and they moved over to the bed. She kissed him, trying to forget her worries. She wanted to focus on the excitement and the closeness she felt for Daryl. When else would she be so close with him? She was about to be as close as people could possibly get with him.

XxX

The two cuddled close together. Beth's head on his chest as they lay in the queen sized bed. He kissed the top of her head and she turned to look up at him. He rose an eyebrow as if to ask if she was still okay with everything that had just happened.

"Everything is fine, Daryl," she stated. She was sure that future times would be better. They both weren't used to things with one another and all of the other circumstances. It would be better.

"Does anythin' hurt or?" he didn't know what to ask. He hadn't exactly been in this situation. Nor had he ever loved someone liked he loved her.

"I'm fine," she promised, kissing him gently. "We should get some sleep, we have an early day tomorrow."

"Yer righ'. Good nigh'."

"I love you."

"I love ya," the words were quiet and barely above a whisper, but Daryl said it. He had finally admitted it to her. He was in love with her. Completely and fully in love with her and she deserved to know about it.

**AN: I know it's really short, but I wanted to post something for you all. I'm literally about to leave (one of my friends is currently back from college and we seriously need to hang out so I'm about to go hang with her). So, I hope you enjoyed this little bit. I think I'm going to get into season 6 in the next chapter. As always, reviews and ideas are welcomed. I hope all had a happy holiday!**

*****I'd love to hit 100 reviews*****


	16. Chapter 16

The next morning, Daryl woke up cuddling with Beth. He slipped out of her arms and she tried to pull him closer again. "Daryl," she groaned. Where are you going?" she complained.

"Nowhere," he moved close to her once more.

"You were going somewhere," she said.

"I uh," he didn't know how to explain himself. He didn't do this. It didn't matter that he loved her, he just didn't know how to cuddle with someone like this...

"If you're not comfortable...you can go. Daryl, I can't say that I understand it all but, I love you and I have the patience," she said. Some could call her too understanding sometimes, but the fact was, she knew Daryl was different from anyone else and he needed time to adjust to all of this. He wasn't as ready to accept everything that was happening. Daryl was a deeper thinker, he had to think about everything that was going on, whereas Beth, did not have the same need. She went with whatever happened because she knew that she could die at any time now.

"Ya kno' I―"

"Yeah, I know," she pressed a kiss to his lips and he kissed her back. A few moments later, they found themselves in the same position as last night. But this time was different. It was much better, for both of them. They realised that this was how it was supposed to be for two people who loved each other.

"I've gotta work today," she said, getting dressed.

"Ya might wanna wear your hair down," he smirked from the bed. She glanced in the mirror and saw red marks on many parts of her neck.

"Daryl!" she exclaimed, blushing. He shrugged and got up from the bed. He dressed and she just rolled her eyes. Inside, she loved it. The marks on her neck showed that she was _his_. He had claimed her by marking up the entirety of her neck.

The two came down to breakfast and Maggie noted how all of Beth's hair was pulled to the front of her shoulders. Which, was weird. Normally, she kept her hair in a ponytail, it was safer and functional. This was a different sight. When the two caught a moment alone in the kitchen, Maggie pushed her sister's hair from her shoulders. The brunette gasped in surprise before chuckling.

"Did you guys―" Beth shushed her sister, covering her mouth with her hand. Once Beth pulled her hand away Maggie chuckled. "So you did? How was it?"

"This morning was better," Beth shrugged.

Maggie gave a genuine smile. She was so happy for Beth and Daryl. They had gotten even closer and it was such a good thing for the both of them.

"And Maggie...He _told_ me he loved me. _Daryl_ said he loves me."

"I'm so happy for you," Maggie hugged her sister. She already knew that Beth loved Daryl. Beth deserved all of the happiness in the world―if Maggie had any say in it, and even if something could go wrong at any time, it was important for Beth to be able to be close with someone. "I've got something to tell you, too," she led Beth out onto the front porch to have some real privacy. "Glenn and I were talking about havin' a baby."

"You were?" Beth was surprised. "That's so dangerous though."

"We can't let this world keep us from doing everything that we want, y'know? I want to have baby...Glenn is my husband...and I love him."

"So are you going to _try_."

"We're going to let whatever happens, happen, if that makes sense," she shrugged. "So if you want the rest of our condoms," she winked. "They're yours."

"Maggie!" The brunette smiled at her sister and they shared a long embrace. "I love you, Maggie."  
"I love you too, Beth."

XxX

Daryl spent most of the day in the woods, by himself. He thought a lot and he realised, for the first time―possibly ever―he had reached a state of real happiness. Beth made him happy. He made him _feel_ without him feeling bad about it. Growing up around Merle, feeling much of anything wasn't really something that he ever did. Merle made the quite impossible.

But now, here, with Beth, it changed what he had thought to be how he was supposed to live. She made him a different person, and he was okay with that. Hell, he reveled in it. After everything in his life, everything that had gone wrong, he appreciated this.

At times, though, it was hard for him to make the transition from practically not being allowed to feel anything to _loving_ Beth the way he did.

**AN: I'm sorry guys. I know I've posted way too many of these short little excuses for a chapter. I have had very little motivation on this story in particular. If you have some ideas of where to add Beth into the season six story line, I would absolutely love to hear them because I've got nothing. And I wanted to get this finished tonight (Saturday) so that I could post it tomorrow. But unlike most nights, I can't stay up late, I started a new job (at Starbucks) and I have to be up at 6 to go to work. So, I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. I hope it wasn't too repetitive or redundant. Leave your ideas in the reviews, if you would like :) **


	17. Chapter 17

Beth held tight to Daryl on the back of his bike. She had wanted to be a part of this grand plan of there's. Originally, Daryl had been greatly against her coming with them into this, but after a long time of convincing, he finally agreed. But only if she stayed with him the whole time. She gripped his middle and and rested her head on his shoulder. Other than the herd of walkers coming behind them, it seemed like a normal bike ride. She allowed herself to fantasise about how it would be like if they they were just on an afternoon bike ride.

What if they had been together before the apocalypse, she knew it was kind of a silly thought. If it weren't for the dead people walking around, they wouldn't be the way they were. But still, she let herself think. Fantasies could be whatever you wanted them to be. So she let herself think about them living on a quiet little farm. Daryl having his own little motorcycle prepare shop on the property. Her teaching at a kindergarten class. But she would take time off when she had their children.

Beth didn't know if she could tell Daryl, but she wanted to have kids with him. She had even thought about what they would look like. To think, a little girl with his ravenous brown hair and blue eyes. A little boy with her light coloured hair and shade of blue eyes. They would have cute little kids. She knew that she wanted at least two. Maybe three. A world without walkers. A world where they lived together in peace on a farm out in the country. That could be their life. If it weren't for these bastards.

But then, she allowed herself to think of something else for a minute. If they got these walkers away. Maybe they could have such a thing in Alexandria. Maybe they could have children there. It wasn't a farm, but she was sure that―if nothing else―they could share a house with just Maggie and Glenn. Then, all of their kids could grow up together. They'd be cousins, but the close kind of cousins and none of them would ever be alone.

"You zonin' out a bit back there?" Daryl asked, his hand on her hands.

"Hm?" she asked.

"Got ya yer mind somewhere else?" he asked.

"Yeah, a little bit," she snuggled closer into his shoulder. Kissing his neck.

"What 'bout?"

"You," she admitted, shyly. "Just that I love you," she added. She didn't want to tell him of her fantasy. She was kind of afraid of how he would react. She doubted that he actually wanted kids. And she knew, deep down, that this was a pipe dream. It wouldn't actually happen. You had to have hope. She could only hope that she and Daryl would one day have little blue eyed children.

A loud noise came from their left. It was like a siren. It drew the walkers from the road where they had been following behind the bike and the car. Something went over the walkie and Beth couldn't hear it. All Beth knew, was that this was not good.

Daryl did what manoeuvring he could from his end and after much struggle from most of the group, they got everything back on track. The four on the road had no idea what was going on with the rest of the larger group, but they stuck to their task. That was until Daryl went rouge. "What are you doing?" Beth asked. As he turned the bike away and started back towards what she had expected to be Alexandria. She knew Daryl. He wanted to save the group who was there.

Some of the walkers had broken off from the larger herd and went in the direction of the horn that was blaring. There had to be chaos going on there. But still, Beth had to ask Daryl of his intentions.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"We gotta save 'em, Beth. Best we can. We gotta."

"What about Sasha and Abraham? Without the roar of the bike, the walkers could veer off, or go for them," she countered.

"They'll be okay. There're more people back at home."

Home. Daryl just called Alexandria home. Beth wanted to smile in that moment, but she knew that it was inappropriate.

"But Daryl―"

"We gotta go," he stated.

After driving for a short while, Alexandria was within reach. It was only a few more miles before they would be there and she felt the nervousness start to build in her stomach. That was, before another voice came over the walkie talkie. She―somehow―knew it was Rick. She didn't know how she knew, but she did. She couldn't hear it, but Daryl could and with that, he turned the bike around once more. He took a route that confused her a little and before she knew it, they were back at the front of the herd. Leading them away.

With any luck, they would get all the walkers away―far away―and then, they could go back to Alexandria and if Beth hoped for it long enough, they could have a family. She wanted nothing more than to have a family with Daryl. That was what she had realised. She knew that would progress their relationship a lot, but in this world, the only thing you could do was live for the now. And that was what she wanted. Even if it was fast.

**AN: I know I said that I want to stop with these sad excuses for short little chapters, but the problem is, I literally can't take this chapter any further or I will have nothing to write for a month. There are like two-ish chapters left before I have to wait until the show returns...**

**I would love to hit 100 reviews with this chapter!**

**On another note, I just realised how different the two Walking Dead stories I am working are. Holy crap. Beth and Sadie (my OC from "Pointless") are literally a different species from each other. They're like polar opposites and for me, writing from the two angles is interesting. Even if I relate a bit more to Sadie.**


	18. Chapter 18

"We did it?" Beth asked in happy surprise. She was honestly, relieved, when she heard Sasha over the radio. Daryl nodded and replied to the aforementioned woman over the walkie.

"Try to keep up," he said. The bike sped up and Beth gripped tighter onto Daryl's middle.

Before they knew it, bullets were flying all around them. Beth ducked down, getting as close to Daryl as she possibly could. She felt a slight burn in her arm; however, she didn't have time to react to it. The bike―and both Daryl and Beth, slid across the ground. Now, her leg burned too. She winced in pain as Daryl stood up and offered her a hand.

"Ya a'right?" he asked. Beth nodded and they sped off on the bike once more. One of the two cars that had been chasing them crashed, while the other stayed on their tail. Daryl had lost sight of Sasha and Abraham, but he had to just hope they were okay. He had to worry about himself and Beth right now. He got ahead of the last car to follow them and pulled off into the woods. The car passed and he went across the road and into the other side of the woods. The path was mostly clear as they drove.

The bike slowly died on them, it tipped over, taking both of them with it. Daryl landed on his back and Beth landed on his arm. He winced slightly, but didn't move. The two lay there, even after noticing the crispy walker in the biker helmet. They disregarded it and tried to let their heartbeats calm down from the craziness.

"Were ya hit?" he asked, looking at her after noticing the crimson coloured liquid coming from her arm that was right next to hers.

"It's fine," she said, standing. He too stood and he started to grab her arm to examine it, but she pulled away. "I said it's fine. We've gotta get back to Alexandria. Or find Sasha and Abraham. My stupid arm can wait," she said. She started to lift the bike herself. He admired her determination and drive. She was a stubborn little thing and she didn't give up.

He helped her with the bike and together the pushed it through the forest. Everything around them was burnt. It looked like a fire had come through here and taken everything with it in its path. "Hol' up," he said. They set the bike down and he grabbed the walkie from where it was attached to his jacket. "Sasha, Abraham, you there?" he asked into the walkie. They got nothing. Daryl then noticed the blood dripping from his hand. He took off his jacket and found a wound on his arm. It matched Beth's. The same bullet probably grazed the both of them. He grabbed the saddle bag from his bike, along with his crossbow. He was ready to patch both of them up, when he heard a noise.

"Stay 'ere," he said.

"I'm not staying behind. We're in this together," she replied. Sighing, he led the way. He had his crossbow aimed and it was pointed to two women. When he turned to find another noise, he received a quick blow to the head, as did Beth, rendering them both unconscious.

Beth was out without a single chance of waking, while Daryl was in and out. When he finally woke, his hands were bound and there was a stranger facing him.

"Get up," he commanded. "We're moving. Keep your trap shut and we don't kill you." Daryl's immediate reaction was to look over at Beth. She was still out like a light. He knew it was the next day by now. Shit.

"I ain't who ya think," Daryl said, assuming that the man thought he was part of the group who had shot at him just that day. "An' what 'bout her?"

"Say somethin' else," he warned. "As for the girl, either carry her, or she stays behind," he said, tone emotionless. Daryl did the only thing he could. He picked her up―given that his hands were bound, he put her over his shoulder. It was the only option. It was a good thing that Beth was light. He felt weak and he wouldn't be able to carry her if she weighed much more.

Daryl began walking behind the two women as he carried Beth. They went through the woods towards somewhere that he didn't know. He was in survival mode, trying to come up with a plan. His plans would work out much easier if Beth were awake right now. He couldn't do much while carrying her.

Beth's eyes opened to find Daryl's butt rather close to her face. She smiled a little, but that was until she realised what had happened. "Daryl?" she called quietly. The man behind them rose his gun right away.

"Put her down," he commanded. Daryl gently placed Beth on the ground and she looked at him with big, blue, worried eyes.

"He already knows how it works. You don't speak, we don't kill you," he stated.

They continued through the woods for what seemed like a long while. Daryl tried to explain about Alexandria, but they weren't having any of it. Claiming that he would tell them anything because he and Beth were alone and all they wanted was to save their own lives.

Beth gave Daryl a sad look. She felt like any kind of future she wanted with him was slipping through her fingers. They could die out here. A sickening feeling in her gut made her fear that they were going to die. What if they died? She would never get to have their babies. The tears fell down her cheeks and Daryl gave her a sideways glance with a look of question on his face. She gave him a nervous smile before sniffling. She mouthed that she would be okay―and she hoped that she would be.

**AN: WOW! You guys really came through with the reviews! Thank you so much! We hit 100! I'd like to keep this momentum going! I'd love to see just how many we can get. This is probably the most reviews that I have ever consistently received for a story! Keep the reviews going and I'll keep the chapters coming :)**

**I work all this weekend (and Monday), perhaps I could post something more tomorrow, we'll see how it goes ;)**


	19. Chapter 19

When another group—the one that had attacked Daryl and Beth previously—came to find them once more, Daryl was the hero. He managed to save everyone, but that didn't do anything for the group letting them go. Luckily, once again, Daryl had a plan. He grabbed the bag, the one that held all of their belongings, and he grabbed Beth's hand. The two went running into the woods.

Neither of them said a thing when they stopped to breathe. Daryl led the way and eventually, they stopped upon seeing the other trio once again. How had they ended up near them again? One of the girls was having trouble. She needed the medicine that was in the bag Daryl had. Beth looked at him and they had the same thought. Having their weapons back, the walked up—Beth with the bow and Daryl with the gun.

"There's a gun in there an' what ya need. Ya will let us go back ta our camp. Go our separate ways," Daryl said. The main guy nodded and Daryl tossed them the bag. That was all there was to it, or so they thought. They started back towards where they had entered the woods.

Of course, Daryl had heard footsteps behind him. He turned just in time to see the same group as before, each of them had a gun rose and ready to shoot, but there were only two of them now. The tall brown haired girl and the guy.

"What the hell is your end game here?" Beth was sick of this. "We are not here to be your hostages! Just leave us the hell alone! We're not after you in any way! So why don't you just leave us alone?"

"We're trying to protect ourselves."

"No you're not!" The brown haired girl's hands shook, she didn't know what she was doing. And all of a sudden, she fired off her gun and the bullet hit Daryl's arm. Beth lost it right then. She shot the bow, hitting that girl in the shoulder—she wasn't aiming to kill—and then she hit the guy in the face with the bow. Nobody she Daryl and got away with it. Not on her watch!

"C'mon," Beth said, she and Daryl hurried back to where they had left the bike in the woods. She tried to pick it up, but of course she wasn't strong enough. Daryl came to her aide, but winced because of his arm. "Shit," she cursed.

"What's gotten inta ya?" he asked.

"I don't...I don't know. We've gotta get out of here," she said. He had been looking behind her and she followed his line of sight. There was a huge fuel truck and that had to be there way out.

Getting it started proved to not be an easy feat, but Daryl managed to get it going and he began driving them through the woods. That was while Beth wrapped up his arm –the same one that had been shot just the day before. She had ripped the bottom of her shirt to fashion a way to wrap it up.

"Did I do okay back there?" Beth asked, feeling insecure and nervous about what had just happened. She didn't know if she had reacted correctly to the situation. They had gotten free but she didn't know if she should have done more or less or...she just didn't really know what to think about what had just happened.

"'M proud a ya. Ya did fine. Ya did what had ta be done," he told her. She nodded and they made it from the woods and onto the main stretch of road. They were headed back in the direction they had came from and they hoped to meet up with Abraham and Sasha before heading back to Alexandria.

The car Abraham and Sasha had been driving was parked outside of a building, not too far from where they had ended up in the woods. Daryl parked the fuel truck and both he and Beth hopped out. She held the bow up, ready to shoot any oncoming threat, and he kept his gun at the ready. She had to carry the bow now, his arm would put him in too much pain if he did it.

They finally caught a break, though. Abraham and Sasha emerged from the building and each of them lowered their weapons.

"You guys are okay!" Beth exclaimed, relief flooding her voice. They were okay, that meant that things had to start going their way. Things would be alright, right? They would get back to Alexandria and she could have that family with Daryl. For some reason, that family was the one thing that kept coming to her mind.

"Well, what're we waitin' for, then?" Abraham asked. "Let's get our happy asses back home," he said.

"Ya can drive," Daryl told the red haired man. Sasha got in the middle and Daryl on the end. He patted his lap and Beth climbed up to sit on him. She laughed a little and grinned at him.

"You're not very comfortable," she told him.

"Hush," he told her.

"I was just saying..."

They made their way down the road, bound for Alexandria. The big truck went as quickly as it could down the road and nobody really said much. In all reality, they didn't know what they would be walking into when they got back to Alexandria. The truth was, the siren had gone off and they didn't know the source of it. Something could have certainly changed back there. For all they knew, everyone could be dead...but they could also be okay...They would just have to wait and see.

**AN: So it looks like I might have to go on a slight hiatus with this story...About three and a half weeks, that is. We have to wait for the Walking Dead to return because I would really like to keep this with the real story line. I hope you understand! I would still love to receive your reviews :)**


	20. Chapter 20

The fuel truck rolled to a stop in front of a group of men on bikes. Beth felt Daryl tense. This could not be a good thing. "Stay beside me," Daryl murmured. Beth nodded, her blonde ponytail bouncing as she did so. Daryl held Beth still until Abraham had stepped out of the truck—as per command of the men on bikes with guns. It was his way of adding as much protection to Beth as he could. All he wanted was her safety. Even if it meant sacrificing his own just for her.

Before they had left the car, Beth had made sure to leave the crossbow within the fuel truck. The four of them stood in front of the truck. "Don't ask any questions and this'll all be easy," the guy on the bike slightly in front of the rest said. "All you need to know is that all of your belongings are no longer yours. They belong to Negan." One of the guys came to Daryl first. Reluctantly, he handed over his gun. The guy came to Beth.

"I don't have one," Beth said, making eye contact with the man before her.

"You don't?" he said, skeptically.

"No, I don't."

He pushed Beth back towards the truck and spun her around. "Negan's gonna like you."

As if anticipating his movements, Abraham held Daryl back. "Get off of her," Daryl growled.

"What's this?" The man started to pat down Beth. "You got some sort of daddy complex, girl?" Beth cringed inwardly. Daryl wasn't old enough to be her dad. That and the guy was touching her. Well, patting her down. Why was this happening? "You really don't have one," he said, surprised.

Abraham backed off of Daryl and went to stand at the end, where he was originally. The man then took Sasha's gun and came to Abraham. After a silent argument, Abraham gave up his gun.

"Now I need the rest of your belongings," the man said.

"That's all there is," Abraham said.

"There's always more," one of the guys said.

"Take that one around the back of the truck," the main guy said, gesturing to Daryl.

Once Daryl had disappeared behind the truck, Abraham had a question. Of course. "Who is Negan?"

"What did I say? I said if you don't ask questions, we would be okay. And you seem like reasonable people which is why I wasn't going to kill one of you," he stated. "Usually, we would have killed one of you from the get go. Before we drove you back to your camp. Do you guys know how awkward that is, riding next to someone whose friend you just killed? But y'know what? I changed my mind, I'm going to kill one of you," he held up two gun, there was no telling who he was pointing them towards. He seemed to consider it for a long moment. "Never mind, I won't do it," he lowered the guns. Everyone seemed to let out a collective breath of relief. "But then again, I think I will kill one of you," he rose the guns again.

Beth was waiting for him to pull the trigger. She had prepared herself to be shot. If she was going to die, she was going to die. She was going to accept her fate. She would miss Daryl and her sister, but other than that, she was okay with this. Even though she still wanted to have Daryl's children.

Before the man could pull the trigger, an explosion occurred, all of the men on the bikes burst into flames and Daryl hurried around the truck and to the front, where everyone else was standing.

"Holy shit," Abraham said.

"Daryl," Beth said in surprise.

"C'mon, let's get home," he stated.

XxX

Soon, they arrived back at Alexandria and came in like heroes. The entire group fought walkers off and defeated the huge heard. Their battle was complete with a lake of fire—Daryl had used the fuel truck and the rocket launcher to cause the explosion. The walkers went into the lake, causing all of them to catch on fire, making for burnt and crispy walkers.

So much had happened to the group that night. Carl had been shot in the eye, and everyone else worked on being patched up. Beth sat beside Daryl as he got his shoulder stitched up. She rested her hand on his and he met her eyes briefly.

"We're okay," she laughed slightly. We'll...we'll be okay," she was talking about the whole group. Everyone would be okay. Eventually. They had survived fighting hundreds of walkers! They could make Alexandria great again, they could do it.

**AN: Hi guys! I'm so sorry it took five years to get this out. I just want to stay with the show. I'm also sorry that this is really short. I probably won't post anything until next week, mostly because again, I want to stay with the show. But, if you want any sort of ideas, don't hesitate to review with them. Also, please leave your reviews in general :)**


	21. Chapter 21

The living situation was a little bit different now. Beth, Maggie, Daryl, and Glenn were in one house by themselves. Right next door was Rick, Carl, Judith, and Michonne. It worked for them. By limiting the number of people in the house, everyone had a bit more space. Beth and Daryl had their own room, as did Maggie and Glenn. Plus two bedrooms to spare.

Glenn was off doing Glenn things, Daryl was on a run with Rick—leaving Judith to with Beth. She carried the toddler—couldn't even call her a baby anymore. She was growing up so fast.

Beth found Maggie in the bathroom, sitting on the floor in front of the sink. "What are you doing?" Beth asked.

"I'm just going through some stuff, do you want these?" Maggie held up a box of tampons. "I don't need them..." She rubbed her stomach. Maggie had told Beth about her pregnancy soon after she came back that night, the one where they were under attack from the walkers. The night four whole weeks ago.

"Right um," Beth chewed on her lip for a minute. She just came to a realisation. She hadn't needed that specific product in a while. Like six whole weeks, if she counted right.

"What?" Maggie met her sister's eyes.

"Nothing," she tucked her blonde hair behind her ear. "I just can't remember the last time I needed those..." She looked away nervously.

"Do you think you could be pregnant?" The brown haired green sibling asked.

"I don't really know. We've been safe though. I don't think that I am. I mean I couldn't be..."

"C'mon, we can go to the clinic and see if it's possible."

XxX

Daryl glared at Rick as he played the annoying music. "Alright," Rick said, turning down the music. "Let's talk about you and Beth, then."

This earned another glare from Daryl. "We don' need ta talk 'bout 'er."

"No, we don't. But I'm curious."

"What's there ta be curious about?" Daryl looked out the window. Yes, he loved Beth. He just didn't think that he needed to explain that to Rick. Maybe that would shut him up.

Rick didn't really know where he was going with this. He thought Beth and Daryl's relationship was cute. They were both good people and they deserved to be happy. "You two deserve each other. It's good for you."

Daryl nodded, he knew Rick was being a good friend or whatever. But all of this kind of made him uncomfortable. He just didn't know what to say.

XxX

As Beth, Maggie, and Judith walked, Beth was internally freaking out. She wanted a baby with Daryl. More than almost anything else. She loved him and would be happy to have his children. But she didn't want everyone knowing before he did—if she was, in fact, pregnant.

"Maggie, maybe we should wait. I don't want everyone to know...if I am, I mean."

"I'm sure Denise just has a test somewhere in the clinic."

"But I don't want her to know."

"We'll take it home with us."

"Okay," Beth said.

"Wouldn't that be excitin'? Both of us pregnant at the same time?"

"I guess it kind of would be," Beth smiled, rubbing her stomach. She had already decided that she would be okay with the result either way. She loved Daryl and Alexandria was as safe as it could get for them.

The only problem was Daryl's reaction. He was kind of a wild card in every situation. She really didn't think that he would be happy about her having a baby. It was a dangerous kind of situation. She could easily die. But for some reason, that didn't scare her. She knew that she wanted this to be true. She knew that she really wanted this baby to exist. She wanted to grow a full pregnancy belly and waddle around. She wanted to be pregnant at the same time as her sister and then have the Rhee child and the Dixon child to grow up as best friends (and cousins).

"Denise, could we get a pregnancy test?" Maggie asked quietly when they walked in. The woman looked at the two for a moment, her eyes landing on Beth, before smiling.

"Sure." She grabbed one from a shelf in the clinic.

"I expect the rules of Doctor patient confidentiality still apply here?" Maggie rose an eyebrow.

"Of course. If the test is positive, come back and we can get you set up on some vitamins. Beth nodded and accepted the test from the other female's hands. Maggie took it and shoved it in her pocket.

The two Greene sisters strode down the road and made it back to their home. Maggie was excited for her sister. She knew that Beth did want a baby, even if she hadn't told Daryl that. Besides that, Daryl and Beth would make great parents. This was a good thing. Maggie saw her own pregnancy and her sister's possibility of one as a blessing. Not a curse.

They made it back to the house and the sisters made a trade. Beth handed Maggie Judith in exchange for the pregnancy test. Beth took it and disappeared upstairs to go to the bathroom.

**AN: What do you think? Is Beth pregnant? Should she be? This one was a bit longer than last week. I hope you liked it. I will post again before Sunday so leave your reviews and I might just get it out faster ;) thank you guys! **


	22. Chapter 22

"Maggie," the brown haired woman came running up the steps when she heard her sister call. Beth stood inside the bathroom, hands resting on the sink, looking down at the white stick.

"What's wrong?" Maggie asked.

"What's this mean?" she held up the stick. Maggie grabbed the box and looked at the meanings on the back. She couldn't help the squeal of excitement that left her lips right away.

"You're pregnant," Maggie jumped up and down, she couldn't believe it. She was so excited.

"Oh my God," Beth was excited. But she didn't know if she should be. She was conflicted about her feelings about this pregnancy. She wanted to have Daryl's children. There was no question about that. It was just that she didn't know if this timing was right. She was so afraid that he would react badly to this news. She loved him and he loved her. They were in a decently safe place, but in the apocalypse, anything could always change.

"So are you going to tell him?"

"Of course. I'll tell him when he gets back tonight," she said.

"Good." Beth nodded in agreement. This was good. It would be good for her to tell Daryl everything. It would be good for both of them. She hoped. And if not, she still had Maggie to be there with her.

XxX

When Daryl arrived home that night, he and Beth had a quiet and simple meal together—Maggie had already gone up to bed alone—complaining that she was exhausted from the long day.

"How was the run?"

Daryl just shrugged. "Didn' get much. Stuff ended up at the bottom of a lake."

"Well, that sounds like an interesting story...Care to share?" the blonde offered, hoping to engage him in casual conversation before going into more depth about this whole pregnancy thing.

"Some asshole. I don' wanna talk 'bout it," he said.

"Oh," she said. "Well um..." she chewed on her lip and picked at her food. "I wanted to ask you something else," she added as a second thought. Maybe she could just bring up kids, to get an idea of how he was going to react to her big news.

"Ya got a lotta questions tonight," he mumbled. She didn't know what was up with his particularly sour mood this evening, but she couldn't stop her question now. This was very important. And who knew what tomorrow would bring for the group? It was important to get this out in the open right here and right now. She didn't want to keep things from him. No matter what. Even if she was afraid he'd be upset with her.

"How do you feel about having kids...like um...with me?" she heard his fork clang against his plate and he just locked eyes with her before looking back down.

"Ain't never wanted kids," Daryl said. And he hadn't. What the hell had brought this on? They couldn't have kids, didn't she know there were dead people walking around? That wasn't safe. Judith was lucky to even be here. The group wouldn't be lucky twice. That was why he was kind of worried for how Maggie and Glenn would deal with having a baby too.

"Well...I have. And I've been thinking a lot, Daryl. I would want to have kids with you. I love you and I'd be happy to be the mother of your children."

"Beth, it ain't safe," he said. "Look 'round ya? This ain' gonna last. An' I'll be dammed if 'm gonna risk yer life or _our_ baby's life. We ain't gonna have a baby jus' ta have one," he said.

"But...Daryl."

"No. I'd do anythin' fer ya, 'cept that," he said, standing from the table. He headed upstairs and Beth felt her heart shattering into a million pieces. She had expected a general lack of desire to have kids, but she hadn't expected him to freak out on her like that.

She followed him upstairs and noticed that he had gone into the bathroom. Alone. Shit. She had left the test in there. Unless Daryl suddenly became non-observant, he would see it.

While in the bathroom, Daryl took a minute to himself. He didn't know why that got him all worked up. Maybe he feared seeing Beth end up like Lori. But maybe he also feared making the mistakes of his father. Or having his kids grow up like he did. He couldn't be a dad. Daryl never had a real dad. He didn't even know how to be towards his own children he—

Daryl stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the box in the trash. It was for a pregnancy test. Then he looked to the sink and it all made sense. She was pregnant. His mouth went dry and his blood turned cold. He felt the nervousness wash over him. He opened the bathroom door—barely avoiding hitting Beth with it.

"Yer—" she just started crying.

"I'm so sorry, Daryl," she sobbed, hugging him and crying into his chest. "I'm so sorry," she repeated over and over again. "I did want this...but I didn't know how much you didn't want it. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry..." she cried again and again. He found himself—instead of being incredibly uncomfortable—hugging Beth back.

"I ain't mad at ya," he told her. "M'self, maybe, but not mad at ya."

"But...Daryl, I'm pregnant," she looked up at him with her tear soaked face.

"I kno'. It ain't yer fault..." he said. "C'mon, let's go to bed."

"We have to talk about this...We have to figure out what we're gonna do."

"Nothin' we can do. Yer gonna have a baby," he said. "Can't change that, might 's well get used to it." That last part was mostly for himself. He couldn't leave Beth alone with their child. That was not even remotely an option. He had to step up and figure out a way to be a dad. That was all he could do. And he swore that he would do it. No matter how much getting used to it took.

**AN: I really hope that I wrote Daryl's reaction well. I didn't know how to do it. I'd love your reviews...Ideas about the baby? Ideas in general? I'm planning to keep up with the show. Which means I should have a another chapter posted Monday-ish. I don't know for sure. I also don't know if I can manage to do two chapters per week. I'd like to, but we'll have to see what the show gives us. **


	23. Chapter 23

Beth sat beside Daryl, she looked over at him, but he refused to meet her eye. He was mad at her. She brushed her fingers across his and he pulled away from her. She frowned a little and let out a small sigh. He was mad at her because she had insisted on coming on the trip with them to Jesus's community. He wanted her to stay because of the baby. They had argued about it this morning.

_"__Daryl, I'm pregnant, not dead. I can handle going out there," Beth stated, staring at him. _

_"__Somethin' coul' happen to ya. Yer not going out there."_

_"__Why the hell can you tell me what to do?" Beth asked. _

_"__'Cause that's my baby an' ya won' be safe."_

_"__I could be. You'll be right there. And this is my baby too. What am I really supposed to do here?" _

_"__Be safe," he said. _

_"__No. I'm going. And we're not telling anyone about this. Maggie is the only one who knows and I want to keep it that way."_

_"__Yer not goin'."_

_"__Yeah, I am. And you can't stop me," she grabbed her jacket and left the room without another word. Beth had felt really strongly about going. Normally, she might not have been so straightforward about going, but she knew that she needed to be there._

"Daryl," Beth said. He didn't look over at her and she sighed. The RV pulled over and everyone climbed out—there was a wrecked car and apparently it belonged with the same group as Jesus.

They started into the house and Rick said that someone should stay with Jesus. Maggie volunteered and then Daryl gave a look to Beth. "Ya shoul' stay too." She weighed her options for a minute.

"Fine," she said. "I'll stay," she told him, and he nodded before walking off.

"What was that about?" Maggie asked.

"He's mad at me for coming..."

"Why?" Maggie questioned.

"Because I came here. He doesn't think it's safe."

"A bit overprotective?" Jesus asked. "He seems like the type."

"What's that supposed to mean?" the blonde asked, looking at the long haired man.

"He seems like the kind of guy who doesn't care to much for people, but when he does, he's very protective of them. Like you."

"Oh," she kind of felt like an ass for questioning the guy so much over that.

In truth, Beth had no idea why she felt so strongly about going with Daryl and the rest of the group. She really didn't know why it was so important to her, but she thought that it might have something to do with her fear of being away from Daryl and Maggie for too long.

XxX

After finally arriving at the Hilltop Colony, their leader, Gregory, insisted everyone get cleaned up. When Beth ran into Daryl upstairs, he gave her a look that she couldn't read.

"What?" she asked.

"Ya kno' I care 'bout ya. An' that's why I don' want ya ta be here."

"I know," she replied. "But I need you right now. You and my sister. I couldn't be there by myself...If I were to be separated from either of you again...I don't know what I'd do..." she frowned. "I'm so emotional right now, and I hate it so much."

He kissed the top of her head briefly, but she could still feel the love from him. "'S a'right. We jus' need to be careful here."

"We do," she agreed.

After they got cleaned up, Maggie went to talk to their leader. Abraham stood, seeming to be deep in thought. The news about Maggie's baby had caught the interest of many people in the group.

"You two ever thought 'bout havin' any pups?" the red headed man asked.

"The timing isn't great for that...yet," Beth said. It was true, even if it was happening already.

"But ya want 'em?" he asked.

"Yeah," Beth said.

"What 'bout ya, Daryl?" he was so curious.

"I guess so," he said. He didn't like this conversation. He didn't like that things were directed at him, he'd much rather the conversation be somewhere else.

"What about you, Abraham. Would you want to settle down?"

"It all depends on everything," he said with a shrug.

XxX

A lot of things happened at the Hilltop Colony, but it all ended with the two groups making a deal. The Alexandria group took half of everything that the Hilltop Colony had. Apparently Negan—the leader of the group that had faced Daryl, Beth, Sasha, and Abraham had a part in taking supplies form the Hilltop.

It had taken Gregory getting stabbed by one of his own, Rick killing a guy, and Daryl breaking a guy's arm to get them to come to this agreement. They could do it. The Alexandria group could defeat Negan, but it certainly wouldn't be easy, but they had to win. They simply had to. There wasn't another way.

**AN: So I'm getting really bored with having this follow the main story line. I feel like you all may be getting bored with reading it too...I'm considering making up what I think will happen when it comes to the big Negan Showdown. What do you think of that idea? Also, if you have any other ideas that you'd like to see written, leave it as a review or even PM me. Thanks!**


End file.
